"Lazarakia" - Traditional Lenten cookies for the "Saturday of Lazarus"

Today in the Greek Orthodox calendar is the "Saturday of Lazarus" and is, in a way, the beginning of the Greek Orthodox Holy Week. "Lazarakia" (literally meaning "Little Lazaruses") are traditional small, sweet and mildly spiced cookies made only once a year and that day is today. They represent, of course, the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. We are not 100% sure from when and where this custom started but it seems that it probably arrived in Greece with the Greeks from Asia Minor. Hence the fact that it is a recipe that we don't find all over Greece but mainly in places where the Greeks of Asia Minor reached and established themselves through the years. For example, Cretan friends have told me that in Crete they are not familiar with this custom. On the other hand there are other islands like Kalymnos, Kasteloryzo, Rhodes and Skopelos where these cookies are a "must" for this time of year and there are various festivities connected to them on this specific Saturday. Lazarakia are cookies shaped like a man wrapped in a shroud (supposedly Saint Lazarus of Bethany) with cloves for eyes. They are Lenten cookies meaning they do not contain any dairy or egg products. Somebody would say that they look ugly and macabre but these cookies have a different purpose than any other type of fancy cookies. They are meant to remind us of Lazarus' resurrection which forebodes Christ's and lets not forget that this was Christ's last miracle before his own death and resurrection. Being not so attractive in looks and rather "poor" in ingredients, these small cookies don't lack of taste at all!! On the contrary they are very tasty and aromatic thanks to the spices that go in. There is a basic recipe but depending on the region the cookies come from there are various extra elements added which enrich the flavour of them. The version I'm giving you today is only one of the many that exist. I've cooked them 2-3 times in the past (different versions regarding the spices) and once you have the first bite you forget all about looks...:-)) 

Cooked by Dimitris Andreou,

"Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients:
1 Kg of hard flour
1 glass of lukewarm water + extra for the kneading

1/2 tea-cup of granulated sugar

1/2 tea-cup of olive oil

2 tea-cups of dark raisins

1 tea-cup of finely chopped walnuts

2 sachets of dried yeast

3 leveled tsp of ground cinnamon

1 tsp of ground cloves

whole cloves to decorate

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lay with baking paper a couple of oven trays.

Dissolve the yeast in the glass with the lukewarm water.

Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Fill it with the sugar, the olive oil and the dissolved yeast.

Start kneading the ingredients with your hands slowly adding, as you go along, the lukewarm water, just enough until you have a relatively firm dough. Then add the spices, the raisins and the walnuts and continue kneading thoroughly until the dough doesn't stick to the hands at all.

Get quantities of the dough and shape into small men (see photo on top). Form eyes, nose and mouth with the tip of a clove and then stick them to the dough where the eyes should be.

Transfer the cookies on the oven trays, cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for 1 hour.

Brush with some oil the Lazarakia for a glossy effect and put in the middle shelf of the oven. Bake until they are nicely golden.

Take out of the oven and allow to cool on metal racks before serving.