By The real estate market is strong this week. I showed 9 properties and closed on 1. The pipeline is strong. The phone rings with the steady rhythm of a business that has taken six years to build and refuses to slow down.
Sunday dinner at Mama's was the usual controlled chaos. Mama made moussaka and it was, as always, extraordinary. The table held fourteen people. The arguments held more opinions than the chairs held bodies. This is how Greek families communicate: loudly, with food, over each other.
I thought about Baba this week. Not the grief — the grief is always there, a familiar companion now — but the man. The way he stood at the bakery counter with his arms crossed. The way he hummed Greek songs he never knew the words to. The way he loved us in silence, which was the loudest love I have ever known.
I made kourabiedes — butter cookies pressed with almonds, dusted in powdered sugar. They did not last the day. I served it with bread and olive oil — always too much olive oil, because in this family there is no such thing as too much. We ate and the conversation was easy and the evening was warm.
Sophia told me this week that she is proud of me. I was not expecting it. We were in the car, driving to Tarpon Springs for Sunday dinner, and she said Mom, I am proud of you. I said for what. She said for everything. For the bakery. For the houses. For making dinner every night even when you are tired. I gripped the steering wheel and blinked and said thank you, koritsi mou. She said do not cry. I did not cry. Much.
The kourabiedes were gone before dinner was even cleared, and I stood at the counter thinking about Baba — the way he used to stand behind the glass case at the bakery, arms crossed, watching customers choose between the almond cookies and the ones dusted in powdered sugar. He never said which were his favorites, but he always made sure the pignoli cookies were front and center. I made a batch this week because some weeks you need to bake something that feels like standing next to someone you love, even when they’re no longer there.
Pignoli Cookies
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 8 oz almond paste (not marzipan)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 cup pine nuts (pignoli)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the dough. Break almond paste into chunks and place in a food processor with the granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and is well combined.
- Add egg whites. Add the egg whites and almond extract to the food processor and pulse until a soft, sticky dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Coat in pine nuts. Spread the pine nuts in a shallow bowl. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and gently roll each portion in the pine nuts, pressing lightly so the nuts adhere on all sides.
- Arrange and bake. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 13—15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. Do not overbake — the cookies should remain soft.
- Cool completely. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They will firm up slightly as they cool.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 110 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 5mg