Tahinopita Recipes

TAHINOPITA (A GREEK LENTEN CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F (180C).
• If this cake is to be Lenten, then grease a loaf pan with olive oil, otherwise, use butter, and dust pan with flour.
• Prepare all dry ingredients in a bowl to have on hand.
• Beat tahini, sugar and orange rind until fluffy and creamy (about 8 minutes on high).
• Gradually add orange juice alternately with dry ingredients.
• Stir in walnuts and sultana raisins.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes (until tester comes out clean).

TAHINOPITA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Oil an 8-by-8 inch square pan or a 9-inch round pan and dust thoroughly with flour.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
• Pour the tahini into a large mixing bowl and slowly drizzle in the orange juice while beating with an electric beater. Add the sugar and beat well for several minutes, until this mixture is smooth and lighter in color.
• Add the dry ingredients and continue mixing with the beaters. The dough will be thick like cookie dough, so you'll have to stop and clean the beaters out when they get bogged down! Be patient, it IS worth it. :-D When it's well mixed, knead in the raisins and walnuts, if using- they ARE tasty!
• Press the dough into the prepared pan, using a spatula or slightly moistened fingers to press the dough into place and smooth out the top.
• Bake for 35 to 38 minutes, until light golden brown on top- be sure it's baked through, but careful not to let it dry out. Let the cake rest in the pan for several minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
• You have three options: eat the cake just like this (YUMMM), dust it lightly with powdered sugar, or, as Jennifer says, you can "be really Greek about it" and make a sugar syrup: Boil the sugar and water together in a small saucepan for about 10 minutes to form a slightly thick syrup. Drizzle the syrup liberally over the top of the cake and brush on the sides.
• Whichever way you decide, cut this edible Greek glory into squares or wedges and enjoy!

TAHINI CINNAMON SWIRL WITH CAROB: TAHINOPITA ME CHAROUPI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160ºC/gas mark 3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the tahini, carob syrup (if using), sugar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cinnamon. Add a pinch of salt and leave to one side. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ½ teaspoon of sea salt. Make a well and pour in the remaining olive oil. In a jug, mix together the yeast with 250ml of warm water. Pour into the flour well and mix everything together with a fork. Add a little flour or water as necessary to get the right consistency; you want it to be smooth and elastic, not too sticky or firm. When the dough is ready, divide into 4 balls. Dust your worktop with flour. Roll one of the balls out into a rough circle to fit the palm of your hand. Hold it and spoon in 1 tablespoon of the tahini mixture. Seal together the dough to encase the tahini and press it flat onto the worktop with the palm of your hand to shape into a rough circle. Spoon in another spoonful of tahini, seal the dough round it, and don't worry if some starts to spill out. This can all be very rough - you just want to build up the dough and tahini layers. Guide the dough into a long sausage shape, use a knife to spread on a little more tahini mixture, then take each end in each of your hands and twist the sausage in opposite directions so it starts to twirl like a cheese straw. Roll the twirled dough into a spiral, tucking the end underneath, and flatten onto your worktop with the palm of your hand. Place on a lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough and the tahini mixture. When they are all ready, bake the tahinopites in the oven for around 20 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Drizzle immediately with honey and leave to absorb for 5 minutes before eating.

TAHINOPITA FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Spoon 2 tablespoons of the tahini into a wide shallow bowl and slowly whisk in the milk and cream. Whisk in the eggs, cinnamon, sugar and salt until a smooth custard is formed. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add half of the butter. Lay two slices of bread in the custard. Leave for 30 seconds, then turn the slices over and soak for a further 30-60 seconds. The bread should absorb as much liquid as possible without disintegrating.
• Fry the bread slices for 3 minutes until golden underneath, then turn over and fry for a couple more minutes. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds on top of each bread slice and press them in gently. Flip the bread slices back over and sear for 1 more minute until golden. Set aside the remaining sesame seeds. Transfer the bread slices to a plate or board, wipe out the pan and repeat with the remaining bread slices.
• Cut each bread slice into two triangles and place on four warmed plates. Top each plate with a generous spoonful of yoghurt, the remaining tahini, the remaining sesame seeds and a drizzle of the honey. Serve with the seasonal fruit.