RETIRED professional chef Paul James, author of travel and food blog Recipes From My Travels, writes for our paper.
I absolutely love Christmas but sometimes, now my children are older, I’d love to spend a few days over the festive season including Christmas Day somewhere different.
I visited New York last year at the beginning of December for a few days and that was an amazing experience with everything that Christmas has to offer right there.
But it got me thinking about Greece and especially Corfu and how I would love to visit over the Christmas period there.
I could just imagine slow roasting a leg of lamb that has been marinated with garlic, paprika, shallots, fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, beautiful lemons and a splash of white wine served with flavoursome greens tinged with garlic and lemon infused Greek potatoes.
But also to taste these beautifully flavoured Greek Christmas butter cookies smothered with loads of icing sugar and a cup of Greek coffee with its aroma wafting through the air while peacefully sitting at a picturesque harbour such as Kassiopi.
But I can only wish and dream – obviously, if anyone wants to invite me over for Christmas dinner, I’m house trained, well behaved and will do all the washing up…
Have a beautiful, safe and peaceful Christmas.
Click here for Paul’s ‘Recipes From My Travels’ on Facebook.
GREEK KOURABIEDES
INGREDIENTS
250g of unsalted butter (left at room temperature)
400g of icing sugar (keep 300g back for dusting the kourabiedes)
100g of whole almonds finely ground. (I used a coffee grinder)
2 tsp of vanilla extract
450g of flour sifted
6g of baking powder
METHOD
1. Preheat oven at 200C.
2. Place the almonds on a baking tray and sprinkle with water and bake them for about five to seven minutes, but be careful not to scorch or burn them.
3. While doing this, in a bowl break up the butter with your fingers and add the 100g of icing sugar, then using a mixer blend until you have a creamy consistency.
4. Take the almonds out of the oven, cool for a few minutes then use a coffee grinder to powder the almonds.
5. Combine the vanilla extract and almonds to the mixture and blend gently with your mixer.
6. In another bowl, blend your sifted flour and baking powder and gradually add to the butter mixture and gently combine with your fingers until you have a soft dough.
7. Break off some of the dough and shape your kourabiedes how you like.
8. Turn your oven down to 180C and place the kourabiedes on parchment paper-lined baking trays and cook in the oven for about 15 mins but keep checking that you don’t overcook them, you are looking for a slightly faint golden brown colouring.
9. Remove from the oven and let them cool right down before even trying to move them as they may break.
10. Present onto a serving plate and dust liberally with the remaining icing sugar.
