When it comes to UK festive food traditions, invariably we think of turkey, Christmas pud and mince pies, but as Santa circles the globe in his sleigh, he must come across so many more celebratory dishes. To see what else he might find, we asked chefs and food writers from Greece, Scandinavia, Mexico and West Africa to share the dishes that mean Christmas to them
PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN
Irini’s melomakarona
Makes about 50 Hands-on time 40 min Oven time 30-35 min
IRINI’S TIP
Avoid using an early-harvest olive oil, as its
flavour tends to be quite
bitter. In Greece, good olive oil
for sweet dishes is produced
on the island of Lesvos.
• 475g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 175ml extra-virgin olive oil
(see tip)
• 100g caster sugar
• 25ml brandy
• Finely grated zest 2 oranges,
plus 75ml juice
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 pieces stem ginger,
finely chopped
• 10g sesame seeds, toasted
• 20g walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
For the syrup
• 50g caster sugar
• 100g good-quality honey
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
1Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In another larger mixing bowl, beat the olive oil and sugar with an electric whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the brandy, orange zest and dry spices.
2Pour the orange juice into a glass, stir in the bicarbonate of soda, then tip this into the olive oil mixture. Stir in the stem ginger. Gradually start adding the flour mix to the liquid, at first stirring with a spoon, then using your hands. Mix to the point where you have a soft dough, but try not to overmix as the oil will start separating out.
3Line a large baking tray (or 2 smaller ones) with baking paper and put a wire rack next to it. Take about 15g of the dough in your hands, shape into a circle or oval, then roll gently on the rack to create ridges all over (this helps the biscuit absorb the syrup). Put on the tray, then repeat until all the dough is used up – you should get 50-ish biscuits. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden.
4Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put a saucepan over a medium heat and add the sugar with 100ml water. Bring to the boil, wait 3 minutes, then add the honey and lemon juice. Skim off any scum that rises to the top, then boil for another few minutes. Remove from the heat.
