Cyprus
May 16th 2024 - Sam’s House
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Jess - Cypriot Kisir
Stacy - Keftedes
Sam - Cypriot Pastitsio & Roasted Cauliflower & Watermelon
Ritee - Beef Stifado
Mindy -Hellimli Bread (Recipe Below)
Noelle - Olives & Salad
Tina & Issac - Zucchini fritters - Kolokithokeftedes
Rachel - Avgolemono Soup
Hellimli Bread - Adapted by Mindy
Prep time: 30 min +1-2 hours of rising+ 1 hr of baking
2.75 cups White Flour
.25 cup Milk (warm)
.75 cup Water (warm)
2 tsp Salt
1/4 packet of Active Dry Yeast
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 lb of halloumi cheese
1 handful of fresh mint
¼ medium onion
1 Tbsp of nigella seeds
1 Tbsp of sesame seeds
Olive Oil
In a small bowl combine yeast, sugar, milk, and the water. Let sit for about 5 minutes to get the yeast working. (It should start to bubble. If it doesn’t it isn’t active and you should start over with new yeast.) Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix together. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and add the liquid. Coat your hands with olive oil or vegetable oil and begin to mix the ingredients together. Every so often add a little more oil to your hands so that the dough does not stick. Knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth ball. It should still be a little sticky- but hold together when pulled off the walls of the bowl. In general, it should be more dry than wet If the dough is too sticky add a little flour and if it is too dry add water, a tsp at a time. Cover the bread dough with a thin layer of flour, and then a damp cloth. Leave the dough in a warm dry place to rise until it has doubled in size- 1-2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Generously coat an 8” cake pan in olive oil (2.5 shots of olive oil). Cut the halloumi into a small dice, thinly slice the onion into half rounds and chop the mint. On a lightly floured surface flatten out the dough and layer on the cheese, onions and mint. Roll the dough into a log and then curl it into a circle in the cake pan. Gently press the dough flat into the pan. Sprinkle on 1 Tbsp of the nigella seeds and 1 Tbsp of the sesame seeds so that they evenly cover the surface of the dough. Place the hellimli in the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for 1 hr or until the bread is golden brown. If you are using a traditional cyprus oven, cook for 20 minutes.