April 14, 2010

Philomena's Almond Bread



Allow me to introduce Philomena. She is my quirky, crazy, honest and utterly amazing neighbour. In two days she will turn seventy. She looks a million bucks and she looks totally glamorous. Looks, however, can be deceiving. Philomena is as earthy as they come and by golly is she connected to the earth. Philomena is more at home with a shovel in her hand than a glass of champagne. She and her wonderful husband Romano, have a massive veggie garden where they grow everything themselves. She is such a fusspot! That is, about what goes into her mouth. Looking at her; maybe it's a good thing. She eats pretty much only organic produce, demands to know the source of her meat and she cooks every single day the heartiest and healthiest of meals. The day wouldn't be complete without the odd cake or bikkies coming out of the oven since it is usually on. I have never known someone of her age to have so much energy. She said to me only the other day, "Mariana, I feel twenty. I have so much energy it scares me". She is sharp as a tack, strong as an ox and healthy as can be.

I posted about her quite a while ago. Incidentally, her name is Filomena on her birth certificate and Philomena on her passport, hence the different spellings. I usually call her 'Mina'. You can check out my last story on her at Through My Kitchen Window: Filomena. Far too long ago. When a treasure like this lady comes along, a whole book wouldn't be able to fit in all her credits. And what a credit she is to the human race. The world is sadly lacking in "Philomena's". At least, in my part of the world.

Every Sunday, around 7am, the phone rings for about ten seconds and then stops. It's the signal. Black coffee is ready. The grappa and the rakija are waiting. A small tray of sweet goodies lay in store. It's Romano letting us know they are up and "we're waiting for you, so hurry up". The signal never fails to make me smile. I've been late recently because I have to feed the calf, Elfrieda, at around the same time. Even though I am greeted with "ahhh where have you been, we cannot start without you", huge smiles cross their faces as I bend down to kiss them good morning. Pepe the cockatiel, Rocky the cockatoo or Fido the dog are usually nestled somewhere on Romano, so it's can be a tricky business giving him a peck on the cheek. I am waiting for the day when I shall be 'pecked' right back. And not by Romano!

Philomena excitedly shows me the cake she especially made for me. It is a healthy, honey cake with no fat. I am "forced" to down three pieces and she wraps the rest for me to take home. I spend the next ten minutes listening to all the benefits in this cake and also to the procedure in making it. Meanwhile my hubby, the other neighbours (yes, they get the signal too) and Romano chat about engines, trucks, diesel and losing licenses. Upon leaving, I ask for her permission to write about her honey cake. At that very minute Philomena disappears.

She hastily reappears and presents me with two whole almond bread loaves that have not been sliced. She would prefer that I write about them as she insists she would need a whole new fresh honey cake for me to photograph. Didn't I say she was fussy!!

I fly home to get my camera, return and off we go. The three of us head upstairs to "get famous". You see, I am laughing my head off right now, as my dear Philomena thinks she is going to get "famous" because I am posting her recipes and stories on the computer. You and I know that ain't never gonna happen, but, if it means I am going to help preserve her precious recipes then why not go along with it. She has loose bits of paper everywhere with handwritten recipes. She said to me a couple of years ago, "when I die, everything will die with me". I am determined to make sure that won't happen. Besides, she may well outlive me!!

Get ready for her 'famous' almond bread recipe, while Philomena gets ready waiting to be 'famous'.

Philomena's Almond Bread


6 egg whites - only from free range eggs
150gm caster sugar
a drizzle of vanilla extract
90gm self raising flour
150gm plain flour
pinch of salt
250gm whole raw almonds

Beat the egg whites together with the sugar and vanilla till the mixture becomes thick and snowy.

Sift the flours and salt together for at least three times. Carefully fold into the mixture. Add whole almonds; fold through till evenly distributed.

Place mixture into a well greased loaf tin and pop into an oven at 170degrees celcius for at least twenty minutes. You want a nice blonde brown look; not too dark.



Allow the bread to go completely cold; ( I mean cooled down naturally - do not place in the fridge as one unhappy reader discovered this will soften the bread and make slicing impossible).  It is usually best to do this the day before cutting or slicing.

Slice the loaf as thinly as you can without breaking the bread. It can be a little tricky; practise makes perfect. This is a photo of Romano feeding the almond bread into a slicing machine. They have well and truly earned it. Prior, Philomena used to do this by hand for years.



On the other side of the machine, Philomena works quickly collecting the thin slices as they come through.



She works productively carefully layering the slices on trays.



They look so yummy right now, I feel like scoffing into them.



Philomena gets her oven preheating at 175degree celcius. She lines slices in a single layer onto a baking tray and places them into the oven. Critical attention please!!! You must watch them. Bake for no longer than five minutes and even then you must watch them. They can turn brown very quickly. As we chatted the proof that this can happen became all too apparent and she overbrowned two trays. I understood immediately the importance of watching them. This photo shows them toasted perfectly.



Philomena's almond bread are absolutely delicious, crispy, delightfully healthy little morsels. Together with wonderful people, entertaining pets, flowing grappa and hot coffee, these treats are the perfect way to commence a sunny Sunday!



Philomena's tips: Do not leave them at any stage while they are baking. And vitally important is to make sure they are well sealed. Any air that seeps into the jar will soften them and they will lose their crispiness.

33 comments:

  1. Fantastic post and wonderful people! I so enjoyed reading it with every little slightly eccentric detail that you did not miss! Love that cake too! First of all, it LOOKS good! I usually don't like cakes with only whites in the batter but I will make an exception for this one!

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  2. There are so many wonderful people in your life...you are blessed.

    Diane

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  3. Oh Mariana!!! at last I get to see the amazing Philomena. She is GORGEOUS and glamorous and looks do decievingly dainty and fragile and totally unlike what I imagined her to be. I love her dress too! and her boots and her hair.. In a word she's hot! LOL

    she must be healthy to feel like 20 at 70. youre so lucky to have her as your neighbour. that cake looks delicious and pretty. as pretty as teh baker. :) must be good for dunking.

    At least the next time you talk about her i can 'see'her in my mind. tq for posting n do please send my compliments to Philomena.

    xxxxx Zurin

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  4. tasteofbeirut - 'eccentric' is actually a really good word. There are so many facets to this lady but I never leave her place without feeling 'richer' in one way or another.

    Diane - your comment left me feeling ponderous. You are so right. Thank you so very much for dropping by and reminding me that I am blessed. Funnily enough, I really needed to hear that at this moment. Thanks again. Mariana xxxxxxxx

    Yes zurin - at last! I forgot to mention I took this photo of her last July, so she was infact 69. Not that long ago. I will pass on your flattering comment to her; it will make her day! Oh no. She will most likely think she is already "getting famous". Oh, I still crack up thinking about it.

    Yes indeed; my Hubby loves to dunk them. And he prefers them a touch on the darker side, so if any are overdone she knows exactly who to give them to. Thanks for dropping in darling; lovely to see you as always. Mariana xxxxxxxxxx

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  5. I love that you get a signal every sunday morning, what great neighbors :). I also like that part about her getting famous, but in a sense she is even if it is a few people reading it, its people from all over the world and that wouldnt ave happend without the internet. and thanks about the cupcakes, I used swiss mernigue buttercream heres te link. I hope you have a lovely day. http://bakingmonster.blogspot.com/2009/11/lavender-chiffon-cupcakes-with-swiss.html

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  6. Thanks Baking Monster - I checked out your buttercream recipe and it is very similar to mine. No wonder your icing looked really smooth and creamy. Great job, young lady. Keep up the great baking. Mariana xxxxx

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  7. Awww - what great neighbors; surely one of Philomena's secrets is her hospitality. That bread looks wonderful - it must be heaven with a cup of coffee (or a bit of that grappa!).

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  8. Gorgeous... the woman and the bread! Thank you so much for sharing her recipe and some of her stories... the weekly Sunday signal made me smile. It sounds like you have such a wonderful community there!

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  9. I so enjoyed reading this. Mina is a treasure. I want to feel twenty, have so much energy it scares me, be as sharp as a tack, strong as an ox, and healthy as can be (and bake a rockin' almond bread) when I'm 70!

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  10. Tumbleweed Woman - yes the signal always makes me smile too. It's funny how it makes me feel 'needed' and that is very comforting.

    Denise - I guess it's something we all aspire to be when we get to 70. Personally, I don't think I will be that good. But, I can live in hope!!

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  11. Gosh Mariana, you know I love a Philomena story and this one's a real treat. First of all she looks incredible, not just 'for her age' but for any age. A real testament to the combined power of discipline (eating well) and pleasure (really enjoying it). I love your Sunday ritual and the cake looks so good, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee or, yes, even grappa. On Sunday. At 7am. I love it. You are lucky to have her in your life, and she you. Lots of love darling, Dx

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  12. Oh Yumm... I and see me getting even more "rotund" trying out all the gorgeous recipes on here !!!

    Cant wait to try this bread out ! we get almonds by the bucketload from our neighbours..

    Jo Bruce, Spain

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  13. Wow. A bucketload of almonds would cost hundreds of dollars in australia. No kidding. Enjoy using them.

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  14. Mariana, thanks for the link - I want one of those slicing machines! What a fabulous neighbour you have.. :)

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  15. No probs Celia. As for my neighbour - she's the best.

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  16. What a wonderful blog, thank you for the recipe and the inspiring story. HEather

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  17. Mariana and Philomena,

    I've demolished the packet of almond bread I received. I will now make some more.

    Kyle.

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  18. Hope you enjoyed them right down to the final crumb Kyle. I'll be sure to tell Philomena you devoured them with delight - would you believe I haven't been down for a grappa or a coffee since you and Issy left. I'll make up for it tomorrow. Are you really going to attempt having a go at making them? Good on you and good luck - be sure to let me know how you get on - flop or fabulous - I want to know. Fingers crossed.

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  19. Hi Mariana, I have been checking out Philomena's slicer. Can you ask her what brand it is please? I have to cut my almond bread by hand and it is getting harder and harder.

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  20. I'll pop down and see her later Glenda. I have a feeling she bought it in Croatia because she couldn't find anything like it in Australia. I'll see if there is a brand on it. Knowing Philomena it's been that well used it's probably been rubbed off - only kidding!!

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  21. PINA, December 1,2012.
    what a lovely lady filomena is youre so lucky to have a neighbour like her, i must admit that i'm a bit jelous her almond bread is always a big winner , Merry Christmas to both of you .God Bless.

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    1. Thanks Pina. Yes we've been lucky to have Philomena; but our days are numbered. Their house is sold and they must be out by January 11th. They'll remain in Australia just until they've sorted all their gear, what to take, what to sell, etc and of course, the arduous task of gaining approval and organising to get their four pets to Croatia. Her almond bread will be missed; but at least you and I have the recipe. Merry Christmas to you. Mariana.

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  22. We put our almond bread in for the first bake for over 20 minutes as recommended in this recipe, making sure it was a nice light golden brown all over. After leaving it in the fridge for 2 days, it came to slicing the loaf. It was soft through the entire middle of the loaf! It is now 3pm on Christmas Eve. No second chances now. Our Christmas baking gift idea for our grandparents ruined. We spent all of last night decorating some beautiful glass jars. I suggest, don't leave it to the last minute and don't always trust the recipe. Indeed, practice makes perfect. Merry Christmas 2012, from one unhappy Christmas baker. P.S Back-up brownies are on the way.

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    1. Dear Anonymous

      It doesn't surprise me to hear the almond bread softened if you left it in the fridge for two days. I retraced my steps in the recipe and at no stage have I said to put it in the fridge for any amount of time.

      I see I've stated to 'allow the bread to go completely cold'. Perhaps you've interpreted this to mean to put in the fridge whereas I actually mean do not attempt to slice the bread whilst 'hot' and make sure that it has completely cooled down.

      I've since put in brackets what I mean by 'allowing to go completely cold' in the instructions, not that this will help you. I regret to hear that you have 'ruined' your present to your grandparents. I do agree with you about not leaving gifts to the last minute as it doesn't allow for time when things do go wrong.

      All the best for a Happy Christmas. Mariana.

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  23. Mariana,

    The slicer I use is a Ritter brand and looks very much like your famous friend's slicer. It makes life so much easier. I got mine through Kitchenware Direct, an amazing online store that has fantastic service and way too many things for me to spend my money on.

    Cheers Rosalie

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    1. Thanks for that Rosalie. I'll pass that info onto my blogger friend who recently inquired about the slicer. Cheers Mariana

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  24. Love your post Mariana and your neighbours, they remind me of my mums wonderful neighbours who have given me such wonderful childhood memories. Gorgeous Expresso coffee, delicious food such as home made sauces, pizza, biscuits and that huge garden which they still maintain at the age of 70+, luv the memories and I will surely be trying Philomena almond bread tonight. Cant wait to take them to my daughters pony club event, I bet they are going to love them and I cant wait to check out your other post and recipes.
    Luv to you and Philomena ( Making the world a better place ) :)
    Sofie

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  25. Gee Sofie; sounds like you can well relate with your own experience to warm, wonderful, generous elders. Such people are getting rarer than hen's teeth these days, so it's well worth treasuring and valuing them with all your being. My dear Philomena and Romano moved earlier this year, so they are no longer my precious neighbours. They've gone back to the 'old' country - Romano's birthplace in Pula Croatia. I think of them often and they've left an indelible mark on my whole family. We miss them.

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  26. I've just made Philomena's Almond Bread and it's really amazing. I've made almond bread before with a slightly different recipe but this recipe wins by far and is now a family favourite...thanks!

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    1. Thanks for dropping back Trixi - you've made my day. I'll let Philomena know the next time I call her up - she's living in Croatia now; I miss my wonderful neighbours terribly. They're irreplaceable. Mariana x

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  27. Hi Mariana - thanks so much to you and Philomena! This is the first almond bread recipe my Mum agrees is exactly right. I foresee many, many batches in my future.

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  28. The positive comments on here are making me so excited to try this recipe! I can't wait.

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