Chocolate Greek Doughnuts (Loukoumades)
Recipe from the ebook โA Greekalicious Feastโ by Maria Benardis.
Loukoumades are Greek-style doughnuts. They are the oldest recorded pastry of any kind in European literature.
Loukoumades or โhoney tokensโ as they were called in Ancient Greece were offered to the victorious athletes as a prize in a highly ritualized ceremony along with the wreath.ย โHoney tokensโ were essentially fried balls of dough covered in honey. Nowadays we cover them with honey, cinnamon, and nuts.
It is believed that loukoumades were added as one of the prizes to the Olympic Games because Coroebus of Elis who was a humble baker and athlete won the stadion race in the first recorded Ancient Olympic Games in 776 BC. This made Coroebus the very first Olympic champion in history. And so a pastry was incorporated as an Olympic prize.
I have come up with this alternate recipe which includes chocolate.
Makes approximately 25
Ingredients
7 grams dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 -1ยผ cup cold water
1/2 cup chocolate pieces
Olive oil, for deep-frying
20 grams icing sugar, garnish
Method
Place the yeast in the warm water.
Place the flour and salt in a bowl and stir in the yeast. Add 1 cup of cold water ands mix until you have a smooth thin paste. (You may need an additional ยผ cup of cold water). Add the chocolate pieces and mix them through. Cover and set aside for up to 1 hour until it rises and forms bubbles under the surface.
Pour olive oil into a deep frying pan to a depth of 4โ5 centimeters and heat. Using a tablespoon, drop in large dollops of the mixture, one spoonful at a time. The mixture will form round dumplings. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown, then remove and drain on kitchen paper.
Whilst still hot, dust with a little icing sugar on top and serve
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โFood cooked with the Senses, Love and Harmonyโ
Maria Benardis,ย isย the author of โMy Greek Family Tableโ winner of the prestigious 2009 Gourmand World Cook Book Award (Best Mediterranean Cuisine Book in Australia). It can be purchsed at:
http://www.greekalicious.com.au/product/my-greek-family-cook-book
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