Loukoumades
35 MINUTES + PROVING | SERVES 4-6 | EASY
The monastery of Theoktistis is high in the mountains in Pygi, a village on the north side of the island. There is a housekeeper, Maria, who makes visitors welcome and runs a small coffee shop from which you can buy local herbs, spices, homemade sweets and her famous loukoumades – a kind of doughnut served with honey and walnuts.
plain flour 600g, sifted
fast-action dried yeast 7g
runny honey 1 tbsp, plus extra to serve
vegetable oil for deep frying
walnuts a handful, crushed, to serve
ground cinnamon to serve
• In a large bowl, combine the flour and a pinch of salt, and make a well in the centre. Weigh out 500ml of warm water. Put the yeast in a small cup, add a little of the lukewarm water and 1 tbsp of honey, and stir until it is dissolved. Pour this into the flour, adding the remaining water gradually while mixing with a wooden spoon until fully combined. The dough will be thick and sticky. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
• Fill a pan no more than a third full with oil and heat to 180C or simply drop a little of the dough into the oil – if the oil bubbles immediately and the dough turns golden, the oil is ready.
• Take some of the dough mixture with one spoon and, using another spoon, push it off the spoon into the hot oil. Cook a few doughnuts at a time but be careful not to overcrowd the pan otherwise the oil will cool and the doughnuts will not cook as they should. They are ready when they rise to the top and are golden brown. Remove carefully and drain on kitchen paper. Continue until all the dough has been used. Serve warm with a drizzle of honey, crushed walnuts and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
PER SERVING (4) 473 KCALS | FAT 11.4G
SATURATES 1.1G | CARBS 80G | SUGARS 3.5G
FIBRE 4G | PROTEIN 10.5G | SALT 0.2G
Meni Valle, a food studies teacher and cookbook author, was born in Australia to Greek parents. She shares her knowledge and passion for Greek food through cooking classes and culinary tours to Greece, where she loves connecting with locals and discovering new recipes. Recipes adapted from Ikaria: Food and Life in the Blue Zone by Meni Valle (£22, Hardie Grant).