Δευτέρα 26 Μαρτίου 2018

Easter cookies (koulouria)

By: Ioanna Stamoulou | | Desserts, Greek Classics, Mediterranean Cooking


These traditional Easter cookies (koulouria) are amazing and addictive. Most Greek houses bake their own koulouria during the Easter holidays but the recipe is slightly different from home to home. Very flavorful, airy and crunchy, they are perfect for your coffee or tea break! Enjoy!

Serves: almost 80 cookies Prep. time: 40′ Cooks in: 45′ Ready in: 1:25′

Ingredients
2 Kgr all purpose flour
40g baking powder
700 g good quality butter, in room temperature
400 granulated sugar
8 eggs
16 g mahleb (or mahlab)
1 tsp mastic crushed with 1 tsp sugar
4 oranges, zested
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks beaten with 1-2 tbsp milk, for brushing the cookies
sesame seeds for sprinkling the cookies (optionally)

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven at 180oC/fan. In a large bowl sift flour and baking powder.

Step 2
In the bowl of your stand mixer beat butter with sugar until white and fluffy. Add eggs gradually, waiting to incorporate before adding the next one. Then add mahleb, crushed mastic and orange zest waiting to incorporate. Stop the mixer.

Step 3
Stir in flour and milk, alternating the two ingredients, and mix with your hands until you get a nice, smooth, elastic dough.

Step 4
Line two shallow baking dishes with non-stick baking parchment. Knead in braids or just bring together the two ends to form round cookies with a hole in the middle. Transfer on the dishes. Make sure you leave some space between the cookies.

Step 5
Brush cookies with beaten egg and sesame seed. Bake until nicely colored. Continue with the remaining dough. Cool on wire rack and store in metal box.

Five Greek Nature Initiatives Vying for Natura 2000 Award – Vote Now!



Five Greek nature conservation projects have been shortlisted by the European Commission in the running for the 2018 European Natura 2000 Award.

The Greek Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal (MOm), the Callisto NGO based in Kastoria dedicated to the protection of the brown bear, a cross-border partnership to bring the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) back to Bulgaria where it is currently considered extinct, Life-Stymfalia project aiming to safeguard one of the most important wetlands in the Mediterranean, and the joint conservation effort to save the migratory Egyptian Vulture are competing for the Natura 2000 Award, which recognizes initiatives working to ensure the long-term survival of Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats.


Greece is among 25 finalists from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxemburg, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the UK – selected out of 75 applications from across the EU.

The centerpiece of the EU’s nature and biodiversity policy, the Nature 2000 Network consists of over 27,000 sites which cover almost a fifth of Europe’s land area and a significant part of the surrounding seas, making it the world’s largest coordinated network of conservation areas.

An independent jury will assess the finalists in five categories – Conservation, Socio-Economic Benefits, Communication, Reconciling Interests/Perceptions, and Cross-Border Cooperation and Networking.

The Natura 2000 Award winner will be announced on May 17, in Brussels.

In the meantime, voting is open to the public until April 22, for the winner of the European Citizens’ Award.
Photos: http://natura2000award-application.eu
source:GTP

Greece awarded as ‘top destination with best beaches’ at Moscow International Tourism Fair




Greece was awarded as top destination with the best beaches in Europe by the Moscow International Tourism Fair (MITT) in Russia.

Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura, head of the Greek mission, participated in the official opening ceremony of MITT and received the award from the organisers.

In the context of the exhibition, Kountoura gave a press conference to Russian and international media on Greece’s national tourism and promotion strategy, which is focused on turning the country into a world-renowned tourist destination throughout the year. She referred to the high performance of Greek tourism, the steady rise in the arrivals of Russian tourists, the dynamic emergence of new Greek destinations and thematic tourism packages offered by Greece, as well as bilateral cooperation in the context of the 2017-2018 Greek-Russian Tourism Year.

 Source: thegreekobserver

Σάββατο 10 Φεβρουαρίου 2018

February ... a step closer to Summer in Crete, Greece