“Soutzoukkos” is literally nuts, mostly almonds or walnuts, dipped in “palouze” a form of Cyprus grape jelly. In order to make “soutzoukkos” you must first make “palouze”, you can find the recipe here. The process of making “soutzoukkos” is really not difficult at all, because all of the effort is in making “palouze”. But the trick with “soutzoukkos” is that you have to be ready to make it as soon as the “palouze” is ready. Having said that, when my family makes “soutzoukkos” it does seem to be a chaotic event. This is probably because my aunt makes about 30 huge strands of “soutzoukkos” every year to give away to friends and family. Because of this, the process of making “soutzoukkos” at my aunt’s house is a full-day affair. But don’t let that put you off from making it at home, because if you are only making two little strands, like I did, then it’s totally doable. “Soutzoukkos” is one of those snacks that I find myself turning to, when I either 1. have nothing else to eat in the house or 2. can’t decide what to eat or 3. I want to something to snack on when I am drinking something cold and alcoholic. When I first gave my friends at university some “soutzoukkos” to try they liked it. They couldn’t pronounce the name so it just became known as the “gooey stuff that Christina’s aunt sent her”. It has sort of a slightly sweet taste, but nothing that’s in your face or over the top. For this reason, I really like to eat it with a cold beer or cider, together with some other nuts. I chose some wasabi-covered cashews which I love. Okeey dookey, well below you will find the recipe on how to make “soutzoukkos”. Remember to refer to the “palouze” recipe here to first make the “palouze”.
Level of Difficulty: 1/5 (the difficulty comes in making “palouzes”, find the recipe for “palouzes” here)
Preparation Time: about 20 minutes
Cooking Time: n/a
Makes 2 cm long strands of “soutzoukkos”
ingredients
2 30cm long threaded almonds
2 very large servings of “palouze” (see “palouze” recipe here)
recipe
1. Soak almonds in water. Once they are soft (after a few hours) thread one almond after another onto a double thread. Make sure you leave enough thread on both ends that you can tie knots with the same. Hang outside (in the sun) to dry for about 2 to 3 days.
2. Take a metal coat hanger. Bend this to create two hooks or holes about 20 cm apart that you can tie each end of the threaded almonds create Either bend the bottom end upwards, or bend the two ends downwards to fashion hooks. Tie each end of the threaded almond strand to one of the hooks. It should look like a hanging “U”.
3. Once your “palouze” is ready (see recipe here), turn the heat off and dip in the threaded almonds.
4. Hang the threaded almonds outside. The strands will drip so ensure you have put newspaper below wherever the strands will hang. Leave the strands to cool for 20 minutes. When you touch the strands they should no longer be sticky by this point.
5. Turn on the heat under the “palouze” until it boils again. Stir it to ensure that it doesn’t become sticky or clump together. Turn off the heat and dip the “soutzoukkos” in again and then hang it outside to cool for 20 minutes.
6. Repeat step 5 one more time. But, let the “soutzoukkos” air dry for 2-3 days. Afterwards, cut the “soutzoukkos” in pieces and enjoy on its own or with a cold drink as snack food. Store any extra “soutzoukkos” in the freezer for up to a year, making sure it is tightly sealed in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
