Friends and readers have been asking, “What’s happened to the Cypriot kitchen?”  Nothing I replied, I just thought it would be nice to introduce other elements of world cuisine in to the column.  But just in case all you out there were worried here’s a Cypriot classic to get us all back on track.  Kurabiye, or almond shortbread, this beautiful, crumbly melt in the mouth biscuit was the one thing that made weddings worth attending.  These delicious, chunky biccies wrapped in a paper napkin and handed out during the money pinning ceremony ultimately spread icing sugar everywhere including your mum’s best frock.  All worth it of course once you bit in to these delightfully sweet concoctions!  Here’s the recipe which will make quite a few to keep friends and guests happy.  Afiyet olsun.

You will need:

1200g plain flour

290g caster sugar

640g butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or powder

200g roasted almonds, coarsely ground

1 egg, beaten (optional)

2-3 tbsp brandy (optional)

Orange-blossom or Rose Water

Plenty of Icing Sugar for dusting

Preparation:

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl.  Add the egg and brandy if you are using.  The egg is optional and depends on how rich you’d like the biscuits to be.  Add the coarsely ground almonds and mix well.  Gradually add the flour and knead to form a soft dough.  Cover and set aside for an hour.

Now break off medium sized balls of dough and form in to shapes of your choice.  The traditional shape is a rectangle with slanted ends.  Line the biscuits on a buttered baking sheet and press a fork on the top of each biscuit.  Bake in a preheated oven at 160*c (gas mark 4) until the biscuits are a light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Once cooked transfer to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool. Now sprinkle the tops with the orang-blossom or rose water and dredge with plenty of icing sugar.  Serve immediately with a nice cup of tea, aaaahh…..