"In our family," writes Georgia I. Chletcos of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, "we have a saying that the Greek kitchen is the original twenty-four-hour diner: It never closes. And being from a Greek family, I can say unequivocally that food is the center of our lives. The great thing about these home-style dishes is that they're generous to the cook and to everyone else: You don't have to be a pro to prepare them, there's always plenty to share, and you'll have a delicious meal on the table in no time."
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 18 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Bring 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 1/2 tablespoon orange peel to boil in heavy small saucepan, stirring often; boil 2 minutes. Refrigerate syrup uncovered.
Step 2
Finely grind all nuts, zwieback, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup sugar in processor. Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks, vanilla, 1/3 cup sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon orange peel in large bowl until very thick, about 4 minutes. Using clean beaters, beat whites and salt in another large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually add 1 cup sugar; beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture, then fold in nut mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Step 3
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Spoon cold syrup over hot cake. Cool completely. Cover; let stand up to 1 day. Cut into squares or diamonds.
