Page 42 October 2014 Greek doughnuts are festival favorite for over 30 years By Amanda Goossen The 54th annual Greater Phoenix Greek Festival is this October and Arcadia residents are preparing to dazzle the community with their heritage and unique traditions. On October 10, 11 and 12, the longest running, largest ethnic festival in the Valley will celebrate with Greek food, music, dancing, art and activities for children at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 1973 E. Maryland in Phoenix. Amongst the mass of people both attending and participating at the festival will be numerous families from Arcadia, including the Tsantilas, Stamis and Economopoulos families, who have worked hard at the same booth for over 30 years. The patriarch of the Stamis family, Andy, along with his son Jonathan, his daughter Gerri Tsantilas and her husband, AWARD WINNING PASTRIES MADE WITH LOCAL ORGANIC INGREDIENTS JOIN US FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND SOMETHING SWEET 3830 E Indian School Rd Phoenix AZ 85018 602-296-4958 • essencebakery.com Need a menu? Visit our web site: WWW. PETESFISHANDCHIPS .COM Burgers, Dogs, Burritos! Scrumptious Fish & Chips! Fresh Breaded Onion Rings! Kid’s Menus at Some Locations! Drive Thru/Take-Out Our Specialty! ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ Family Owned & Operated Since 1947 WE’RE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU AT ANY OF OUR 8 CONVENIENT VALLEY LOCATIONS! • 22 S. Mesa Dr, Mesa • 1017 E. Apache Blvd, Tempe • 1111 E. Buckeye Rd, Phoenix • 2628 W. Van Buren, Phoenix • 3920 S. Central Ave, Phoenix • 4121 N. 44th St, Phoenix FAX: 602-952-9233 • 5516 W. Glendale Ave, Phoenix • 9309 W. Van Buren, Tolleson Best Catch in Town! Stacy Tsantilas, work with Christos and Dena Economopoulos to cook up one of the festival’s most popular treats, Loukoumades. Loukoumades are a Greek version of a doughnut. The small and sweet balls of dough are deep fried until golden and then soaked in, or drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. The two families cooking up these delicacies have worked for years to perfect their recipe and their intricate system of preparation. Jonathan Stamis is now the doughboy, making buckets full of dough all weekend long. Stacy Tsantilas is the fryer. Andy has fine-tuned the recipe and keeps the Loukoumades machine running while the rest of the group works together to be sure the sweet treats are constantly available for the long line of fans. “A crazy amount of people wait in line,” said Gerri Tsantilas. “They stand and wait for us to dump the Loukoumades from the fryer. There is such a demand that sometimes we have a hard time keeping up.” With the Loukoumades machine, the speed is quickened. The machine, which looks like a large fryer with a mixer-type accessory attached, picks up the dough, breaks the dough into doughnut hole-sized pieces and then drops them into the fryer. After five minutes, the workers check the balls of dough and turn them. They then let them cook for about another minute. Syrup made of honey, lemon and cloves is then poured onto the treats and once they have a chance to soak, they are sprinkled with cinnamon. The Loukoumades are always served warm and are often eaten by the handful. And while this can be done without the machine, the complicated contraption helps make this much-desired dessert available to the masses who look forward to the treat at the festival. To the families who have worked this booth for over three decades, it’s their way of giving back to their church and to their community, in the best way they know how. “When you come from a Greek family,” said Gerri, “you cook, it’s part of the culture.” For more information on the the 54th annual Greater Phoenix Greek Festival, go to: holytrinityphx.org

Page 43 October 2014 loukoumades By: The Greater Phoenix Greek Festival preparation • Fill a large measuring cup with 1 cup warm water (120 degrees). In the cup, dissolve yeast packages and one teaspoon of sugar to activate the yeast. Mix. Cover with a plate and let rest until it doubles in size. • In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla, remaining 3 cups of warm water and dissolved yeast. Mix batter with electric mixer vigorously until batter is smooth. • Cover batter with a folded cloth and leave in a warm place for approximately 1 1/2 hours and let the batter rise. Batter should double in size and have bubbles on the surface. (After 30 minutes stir down the batter and recover. Repeat the process after another 30 minutes.) • Prepare honey. In a large pot, combine all ingredients except for the honey. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Add honey, returning the mixture to a slight boil. Cool. • In a large pot or deep fryer, heat oil to 350 degrees. If using a large pot, oil should be 2 inches deep. • Dip a teaspoon in a glass of cold water and dip into batter. Utilize another small spoon to push the dough off the teaspoon and drop it in a small ball into the hot oil. (Drop 4 or 5 balls at a time, dipping spoons in cold water in between). They should float to the top right away. Turn each to brown evenly. Allow them to cook until golden brown. Remove each with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. • Place loukoumades on a plate and drizzle each with honey and cinnamon. Serve them hot and enjoy! ingredients LOUKOUMADES • 2 packages dry yeast • 4 cups lukewarm water, divided • 2 teaspoons sugar, divided • 4 cups all-purpose fl our • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon vanilla • vegetable oil (for frying) HONEY TOPPING • 3 cups sugar • 2 cups water • 1 cinnamon stick • A few whole cloves • Orange and lemon slices • 1/2 cup honey