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How to Milk an Almond Stuff an Egg And Armor a Turnip A ...

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117<br />

sprinkle it with ½ ratl rose water. Crumble the<br />

pith on a plate <strong>an</strong>d dry it. Finely crush it with<br />

some camphor <strong>an</strong>d musk then mix them well. Add<br />

the breadcrumbs <strong>to</strong> the almond-sugar mixture<br />

<strong>an</strong>d sift them in a sieve so that they all mix well.<br />

Take 15 ratl excellent-quality fine samidh<br />

flour (high in starch <strong>an</strong>d br<strong>an</strong> free). Knead it<br />

with ¼ ratl fresh yeast dissolved in water, <strong>an</strong>d 2<br />

½ ratls fresh sesame oil. Mix them all <strong>to</strong>gether<br />

then knead <strong>an</strong>d press <strong>an</strong>d rub the dough<br />

vigorously. Keep on doing this while gradually<br />

feeding it with water, 5 dirhams at a time until it<br />

is thoroughly kneaded. The [final] dough should<br />

be on the stiff side.<br />

Divide the dough in<strong>to</strong> portions, whether small<br />

or big is up <strong>to</strong> you. Take a portion of the dough,<br />

roll it out on a (wooden low table) with a rolling<br />

pin. Let it look like a <strong>to</strong>ngue, wide in the middle<br />

<strong>an</strong>d tapered <strong>to</strong>wards both ends. Spoon some of the<br />

filling <strong>an</strong>d spread it on part of the dough, leaving<br />

the borders free of the filling. Fold the dough on<br />

the filling [lengthwise]. Press out air so that the<br />

dough <strong>an</strong>d the filling become like one solid mass.<br />

If <strong>an</strong>y air remains inside, the cookie will tear <strong>an</strong>d<br />

crack while baking in the t<strong>an</strong>nur. Bend the two<br />

ends of the piece <strong>to</strong> make it look like a crescent.<br />

Arr<strong>an</strong>ge the finished ones on a tray <strong>an</strong>d cover<br />

them with a piece of cloth.<br />

Light fire in the t<strong>an</strong>nur <strong>an</strong>d wait until the<br />

coals look white. Wipe the inside walls of the<br />

t<strong>an</strong>nur with a wet piece of cloth after you brush<br />

it with a broom. Gather all the embers in the<br />

middle, <strong>an</strong>d shape them like a dome. Now,<br />

tr<strong>an</strong>sfer the tray closer <strong>to</strong> the t<strong>an</strong>nur <strong>an</strong>d put a<br />

bowl of water next <strong>to</strong> the <strong>to</strong>p opening of the oven.<br />

When ready <strong>to</strong> bake, take the filled pastries<br />

from the tray one by one, wipe their backs with<br />

water, enough <strong>to</strong> make them sticky, <strong>an</strong>d stick<br />

them all <strong>to</strong> the inner wall of the t<strong>an</strong>nur, taking<br />

care not <strong>to</strong> let them fall down. When you see that<br />

all the pieces are sealed well at the seams, cover<br />

the [<strong>to</strong>p opening of the] t<strong>an</strong>nur, <strong>an</strong>d close the<br />

(bot<strong>to</strong>m vent hole) for a short while <strong>to</strong> create<br />

moisture in the oven.<br />

When the cookies start <strong>to</strong> take on color, open<br />

the bot<strong>to</strong>m vent hole, remove the oven's <strong>to</strong>p lid,<br />

<strong>an</strong>d start scraping off the browned ones as they<br />

are done with a spatula held in one h<strong>an</strong>d <strong>an</strong>d a<br />

huge iron scoop [held in the other h<strong>an</strong>d <strong>to</strong> receive<br />

the scraped cookies].<br />

You should have prepared a bowl of gum<br />

Arabic dissolved in water. Wipe the<br />

khushk<strong>an</strong><strong>an</strong>aj <strong>to</strong>ps with the gum solution [<strong>to</strong> give<br />

them a nice gloss], <strong>an</strong>d s<strong>to</strong>w the cookies away in a<br />

wicker basket, God willing.<br />

(One tenth of the original recipe)<br />

3 c semolina ⅞ c bread crumbs<br />

½ c sesame oil 1 ½ T rose water<br />

1 T sourdough 1.6 c sugar<br />

¾ c water 1 t gum arabic<br />

1 ¼ c almonds in ½ c water<br />

⅓ gram edible camphor<br />

Combine semolina <strong>an</strong>d sesame oil, stir in<br />

sourdough dissolved in water. Leave about 5<br />

hours <strong>to</strong> rise. Grind almonds. Grind camphor<br />

in mortar, combine with bread crumbs <strong>an</strong>d<br />

rose water, spread out <strong>to</strong> dry for fifteen<br />

minutes or so. Add sugar <strong>an</strong>d bread crumbs <strong>to</strong><br />

almonds, mix. Take a ball of dough about 1 ¼<br />

inches in diameter, press <strong>an</strong>d roll out <strong>to</strong> <strong>an</strong><br />

oval about 5"x4", put T+ of filling in the<br />

middle, fold along the long axis as a crescent,<br />

press out the air.<br />

Put a baking s<strong>to</strong>ne in the oven <strong>an</strong>d a pie<br />

p<strong>an</strong> or something similar on <strong>an</strong>other shelf,<br />

heat oven <strong>to</strong> 350°. Brush each crescent with<br />

water, put wet side down on baking s<strong>to</strong>ne,<br />

pour a cup of hot water in<strong>to</strong> the pie p<strong>an</strong> <strong>to</strong><br />

make the oven steamy. Bake about 25-30<br />

minutes until they start <strong>to</strong> brown. Remove,<br />

brush with gum arabic solution, let dry.<br />

We have not yet found <strong>an</strong> adequate<br />

substitute for musk.<br />

Ka'k <strong>Stuff</strong>ed with Sugar<br />

<strong>And</strong>alusi<strong>an</strong> p. A-70<br />

Knead the amount that you w<strong>an</strong>t of fine flour<br />

<strong>an</strong>d knead a long time. Leave it until it rises <strong>an</strong>d<br />

then pound almonds very fine until they are like<br />

brains. Grind with <strong>an</strong> equal amount of white<br />

sugar <strong>an</strong>d knead the two parts with some<br />

rosewater <strong>an</strong>d perfume it with fine spices. Roll the<br />

dough out long <strong>an</strong>d put on the stuffing <strong>an</strong>d cover<br />

with dough. Make it round <strong>an</strong>d make ka'ks with<br />

it. Send it <strong>to</strong> the oven <strong>an</strong>d, if you w<strong>an</strong>t, fry it in<br />

the frying p<strong>an</strong> with oil <strong>an</strong>d scatter sugar on <strong>to</strong>p.<br />

He who w<strong>an</strong>ts it simple, let him omit the spices.

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