Kalo Prama (Siamali or Good Thing!)

A popular Cypriot dessert and one of my childhood favs growing up in Cyprus. The name kalo prama literaly translates to good thing... so how could you go wrong?!

When I was in high school, I always looked forward to the visits of the ice-cream man come siamali-man during the winter months who would visit our school at recess time. My dad tells me he has similar fond memories of the Turkish siamali sellers in the old city. They would wheel their carts around calling out 'SIA-MA-LI!'

Their are a few different methods for making this old-time dessert. Key ingredients are always semolina and yoghurt accented by mastic and orange flavours. The recipe below is fairly basic one. Variations can include eggs, oil, rose water and vanilla.

Mastic resin comes from a shrub cultivated primarily in Chios. It is used as a flavouring agent, to make chewing gum and for medicinal purposes.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 30 - 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup of yoghurt (full fat, sheep's preferable but not necessary)
3/4 cup of sugar
2 cups fine semolina
1/2 teaspoon mastic resin
1 teaspoon of baking soda
Blanched almonds for decoration

Syrup:
1 cup of water
1 1/4 cups sugar
Orange or lemon rind (orange blossom water is a good variation)
1 teaspoon or orange or lemon juice
2 - 3 cloves
1 small cinammon stick

Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 / 180 degrees. Grease an 8x8 or 8" springform with butter. Ivy from Kopiaste suggests tahini as a tasty alternative.

Prepare the syrup so that it is cool and ready for use when the cake has been baked. Add all ingedients into a sauce pan, bring to a boil, simmer for 3-4 minutes and remove from heat.

To blanch almonds, add to a saucepan with enough water to cover the almonds, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Run cold water into the sauce pan to cool the almonds. When cool, squeeze the almonds out of their skin one at a time. Set aside to cool completely.

- In the bowl of a mixer, whisk together the yoghurt and sugar (full speed) until well combined (10 - 12 minutes).

While whisking yoghurt and sugar:
- use a spice grinder to blend together 1 teaspoon of sugar and mastic resin until fine.
- in a bowl, blend together semolina, baking powder, soda and mastic / sugar mix
- gradually add semolina mix to yoghurt and sugar and mix at low speed until combined.
- pour mixture into prepared tin and spread evenly.
- decorate with almonds
- bake in preheated oven. Use a toothpick to check that cake is done - it should come out clean.
- use a large spoon or laddle to pour cold syrup over the cake, one spoonful at a time until all syrup is absorbed. Let the cake cool completely before you dig in!