Chicago's Greek Chic Article

Chicago's Greek Star newspaper does an article on Greek Chic! For all you foodies this is a fun article on food blogs.

http://www.greekchiccuisine.com/OtherImages/GreekStarSeptember2-2010_blogs.pdf

Fall recipe! Walnut Spice Cake -

Walnut Spice Cake - Karithopita

Karithopita or Walnut Spice cake is great dessert comfort food as the weather gets a bit cooler. All the ingredients and complex flavors of more difficult to make Greek desserts, this light walnut cake baked with hints of cinnamon spice flavors is quick and easy to make. Great any time of the day, this simple cake is sure to please your family. A warm piece of Karithopita is a wonderful addition to a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Walnut Spice Cake - Karithopita

Serves: 24

Ingredients

1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon whiskey
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups walnuts, finely chopped
24 baking cups

Syrup Topping Ingredients

½ cup honey
½ cup water
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Method

1. In an electric mixer, cream sugar and eggs one at a time until light and fluffy.
Slowly add oil, milk, and whiskey.
2. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda,
cinnamon, cloves and walnuts. Mix well. Fold into creamed mixture until blended
well.
3. Pour into a greased oven dish, 13 x 9 x 2 inches. Bake in an oven at 350° F for 20 to
25 minutes or until cooked when tested.
4. In a saucepan over medium heat, boil honey and water. Then pour warm syrup
over cooled cake. Use enough syrup to saturate the cake. There may be some
remaining syrup.
5. When cake is cold, cut into diamond shapes and sprinkle with finely chopped
walnuts. Place each decorated cake into a baking cup and place on serving tray.

Greek Chic It: Serve with whipped cream in the center and cinnamon as a garnish. For Christmas, use red and green candied cherries on top.

Recipe courtesy of Greek Chic Cuisine Cookbook by Stephanie M. Patsalis. http://www.greekchiccuisine.com/ Now available at iBookstore.

Shrimp Santorini

This recipe was inspired by the famous island of Santorini, where one can eat the fruit
of the sea daily. Light island cooking is fresh and has so much natural flavor.

Enjoy this family style for dinner this week.

Shrimp Santorini

Serves: 4
Ingredients
¼ cup Greek extra virgin olive oil
5 green onions, chopped
¼ cup dry white wine
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
4 ounces Feta cheese, cubed
1 tablespoons dried dill
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup orzo pasta, cooked
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped

Method
1. Clean shrimp by shelling and deveining. Leaving the tail intact is optional. Rinse,
drain, and dry with paper towels. Set aside.
2. In a frying pan, gently sauté onions and garlic in oil until transparent. Then add
tomato paste, tomatoes, wine, dill, sugar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until thick.
3. Boil orzo until al dente. Drain and rinse cooked orzo.
4. Place orzo in a baking dish with sauce and shrimp on top. Add cubed Feta cheese
and dust top with dill.
5. Bake at 360° F for 20 to 25 minutes until shrimp is fully cooked. Serve warm with
sliced bread.

Labor Day Brunch Ideas with Baklava Pancakes!

Have fun with your family this Labor Day by cooking brunch the easy gourmet way.

Baklava pancakes have so much flavor that your family will love them.

Cinnamon and chopped walnuts add crunch and texture to your everyday breakfast pancakes. You won’t want to sleep in once you try these! "Greek Chic" them by drizzling pancakes with chocolate for the kids. A healthy alternative is to use honey in place of syrup. With the honey over the pancakes, you will think you are eating baklava.

Baklava Pancakes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Your favorite plain pancake mix
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon sugar

Method

1. In a bowl, mix your favorite pancake mix according to the directions. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, make walnut mixture by adding walnuts, cinnamon, cloves,
and sugar. Reserve ¼ cup of the mixture.
3. Fold the walnut mixture into the pancake batter and mix well.
4. Spray skillet with nonstick spray and heat it to medium high.
5. Place batter in a circle and cook until slightly golden brown. Flip and serve with
syrup.

Greek Chic It: Sprinkle each pancake with the extra walnut mixture and drizzle with
honey instead of syrup.