Glactobouriko

This is mom's recipe. It makes one very large pan, bigger than a 8x13.

1/2 gallon whole milk
2 C sugar
1/2 C cream of wheat
1/2 C cream of rice
6 eggs
1 T vanilla
1 pound filo, thawed and at room temperature (easier to handle)
1/2 pound butter melted (mom always used sweet butter on filo)
2 C water
1 C sugar
1 cinnamon stick

In a stock pot combine the milk and sugar and bring to scalding. Once milk has scalded stir the cream of rice and cream of wheat into the hot milk in a thin steady stream stirring the whole time. Once all the cereals have been added continue to cook untilt he milk comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Whisk the eggs together in another bowl and temper the eggs with some of the hot milk mixture, then stirring all the while add the tempered eggs in a thin steady stream into the custard. Stir in the vanilla and set aside while you are lining the pan with filo.

Brush the pan with melted butter, lay a sheet of filo in the pan and brush it with butter, continue to layer the filo with butter until you have about 8-10 sheets of filo layered. Carefully pour the custard over the filo (make sure to leave some in the pot and on the spoon for snacking), top with a layer of filo and continue to butter and layer the filo until you've used up the whole pound. Make three verticle cuts in the galactobouriko, cutting down until you almost hit the filling. Be careful how you do this since it'll end up being how you cut the galactobouriko to serve it, if you want to serve smaller pieces of galactorbouriko you may want to score it in four places rather than three. The reason why you do this is so that the filo doesn't puff up and crack while baking, by scoring it you give the air a place to escape while baking. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 45 minutes. While the galactobouriko is baking prepare the soaking syrup.

In a medium saucepan combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick. Cook over high heat until the sugar melts, once the sugar has melted you can boil it without stirring for about 15 minutes or so (or as long as it takes you to clean up the kitchen!). Once the galalctobouriko is golden brown remove it from the oven and pour the hot syrup over the pastry (stand back a bit, the steam can come up to your face). Allow to cool to room temperature before you put it in the fridge. It's best to eat it the day after you've made it, but eat it within a couple of days because it's flavors are so delicate that they fade quickly.

It really depends on how you cut it, but I got around 30 pieces out of this recipe. Mom always cut on the diagonal. She'd trim all the edges ("because who wants a mouth full of filo!"), and then she'd cut down her score lines until she cut all the way to the bottom of the filo and then she'd cut on a diagonal so they were kind of diamond shaped. This gives you lots of ends and the non diamond shaped end pieces which fortunately were Dad's favorite thing to snack on.

Cousin Maria's Skordalia (Garlic spread)

5 medium potatoes
1 whole head garlic, thru the press
18 oz. canola oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
salt to taste
1 egg
Peel potatoes and cut into bite size chunks and cook in boiling water (like mashed potatoes). When cooked, drain water and mash and salt potatoes. Remove half then add garlic. Then add back potatoes alternating with oil and vinegar til all back in pot mixing with mixer after each addition. Add egg and beat at high til fluffy. Add more salt if necessary. Serve with sliced French bread. Or anything else...great with vegetables, seafood, meat, whatever. I actually got this recipe from Mary Mandalou.

Cousin Dorothy's Rizogalo

Maria Bagakis asked to have this posted. She said she got this from Dorothy about fifteen years ago and that it's great.

1 c. rice
1 qt. half and half
1 qt. milk
1 c. sugar
1 vanilla bean
1/3 c. cream of rice
4 eggs beaten
1/3 c. cornstarch
1 T. vanilla

Cook rice in 2 c. water and 1T. butter til done.

Heat half and half , milk, sugar and vanilla bean til just beginning to boil.

In thin steady stream, add cream of rice, stirring constantly.

Add cooked rice and cook , stirring, for a couple of minutes.

Beat some of the hot milk mixture into eggs and pour eggs into pudding...cook, stirring constantly 2 more minutes.

Turn off heat.

Dissolve cornstarch in just enough water to make it syrupy. Pour into pudding and stir til mixed.

Add vanilla. Stir.

Chill.

Makes 3 quarts.