Share your ethnic recipes, cooking traditions
Our Good Cooks highlights individuals or groups in the region who have a passion for cooking and who carry on their family or other special traditions through recipes. Please send your ideas or nominations for this feature to Life@CoxInc.com with the subject line “Our Good Cooks.”
The Philoptochos Society, which is the philanthropic arm of Dayton’s Greek Orthodox church, has hosted a pastry booth at the Dayton Art Institute’s Oktoberfest since it began, in 1971.
This year, the 41st DAI Oktoberfest will take place from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, at the museum.
“This year, we are featuring a new recipe, Pumpkin Rolls,” said Evanthia Valissiades, who has served as chairwoman for the booth for the past three years. “It comes from Northern Greece and is called ‘kolokikopita.’ It is similar to a pumpkin pie dessert. My grandmother used to make it in a large pan with syrup poured over.
“We have adjusted her original recipe into phyllo rolls so it is easier for our Oktoberfest guests to try. We’ll be baking it fresh on the day it is served, and we hope everyone enjoys them,” she said.
The Philoptochos Society also shared the recipe for another festival favorite: a spice-walnut cake recipe provided by long-time parishioner Nikki Zonars. The dessert was available at the recent Dayton Greek Festival and one the group recommends as perfect to try during this season.
“All of the activities and events at our parish enrich us as a community. We feel blessed to be able to share so much with others,” Valissiades said.
Pumpkin Roll
Ingredients:
Filling mix - combine in a mixing bowl
1 29-ounce can pumpkin puree, any brand, but not pie mix
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sprinkle over ingredients
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
Mix together the above ingredients and set aside.
1 package phyllo pastry sheets, defrosted (buy the one package with the 2½ pound rolls)
1 pound salted butter, melted
Instructions:
On your work table, take off one sheet at a time and place at work space, and keep the rest of phyllo covered with a kitchen towel so it will not dry out. Lay the sheet facing you horizontally, and with a pastry brush, brush half of the sheet with melted butter. Fold the sheet in half, unbuttered over the buttered. Turn the sheet to a slight diagonal with one of the points facing you. The reason for the diagonal beginning is to stabilize the phyllo packet.
About 2 inches above the corner point that is facing you, spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture in a log or shape resembling the length and width of you index finger. Take the bottom point of the phyllo and lay it over the log of filling. Take the left corner and cover the log. There should be a 90 degree angle on the left side of the log. Roll the log up one roll. Now take the right corner of the original sheet and fold it back over the log. The roll at this point should have a squared off base. If you have loose ends, tuck them in. Butter the exposed phyllo. Now simply roll the long up to the top and brush with butter. You make cover and refrigerate or freeze these rolls and bake close to serving time.
Place on a buttered baking sheet with the last point under the roll. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes to a pretty golden color. When slightly cooled, dust with powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Karithopita - Greek Walnut Spice Cake
Basic Cake
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vinegar (white or apple cider)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup Wesson or Mazola cooking oil
1¼ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
Syrup (makes two cups)
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
Outside peel from half an orange, scrape off white pith
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Mix vinegar into milk and let it sit for a few minutes to sour. It will look lumpy, don’t worry.
Combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and set aside.
In a mixer, blend the oil and sugar until thick and pale in color. While beating at medium speed, add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla. Again while beating, add the flour mixture, a little at a time, alternately with the soured milk into the batter until all are just combined. Then stir in the walnuts and pour into prepared pan. Height of batter in baking pan before baking is three-fourths of an inch, which yields a 2-inch high baked cake. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry and clean. Allow cake to cool completely. When cool, cut cake in desired shape serving pieces, squares, triangles or diamond shapes. For diamond shapes, cut 6 lines lengthwise 1½ inches apart. Then cut on the diagonal to form diamond pieces.
To make syrup combine sugar and water in a saucepan and drop in the cinnamon stick, cloves and orange peel. On medium-high heat, bring to a boil, add lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes at a medium boil (not rolling). Do not stir after boiling begins. Take syrup off heat and let it stand for 5 minutes then gently pour over cooled cake. Let syrup absorb into cake for several hours before serving. This cake keeps well and be prepared several days before serving. Pieces may be garnished on top with half a marachino cherry.