Hello everybody.
Here are photos of my different trials making biscotti.
Anise, ginger, chocolate and nuts,coconut and jam and dates.
Really can’t decide which one is the yummiest, personally i loved the chocolate and ginger most.
anise
Egyptian Date Cookies ( كعك مصري او اساور)
Hello everybody.
A friend of mine ordered this particular kind if date cookies, called Egyptian ka’ek, we actually call it bracelet cookies cause it’s round.
Got the recipe from my best friend Ruba, cause I never did them before, recipe is very similar to one I once did called Nawa3em but with a slight difference is that you add rose water when you knead them.
Ingredients and method :
# 2 cups fine semolina.
# 4 cups flour.
# 2 cups butter or ghee ( I used 1/2 ghee, 1 butter and 1/2 vegetable oil)
# 1 tablespoon anise powder.
# 1 teaspoon fennel powder.
# 1 tsp special cookie spice (كلفه كعك)
#1/2 tsp mihleb
#1/4 tsp mistaka.
#2 tablespoons sesame seeds.
#1/2 cup sugar.
# 1 tsp instant yeast dissolved in 1 tablespoon sugar and a cup of warm water.
# 2 tablespoons rose water.
# pitted dates mixed with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and anise powders.
# Heat butter then mix with semolina, flour and all spices very well till crumbly.
# leave for 2-3 hours or better overnight till all butter is well absorbed.
# add frothy yeast and water and mix all well.
# add rose water and knead all together.
# start working right away by stuffing small portions of dough with dates and shape them in the molds.
Order also included baked zaynab fingers ,light and baked not fried.
Zaynab Fingers or Tweitat.(اصابع زينب)
Hello everybody.
I guess everybody is still locked in today as well,weather was a bit better noon time but still freezing outside. Last night was phenomenal ,temperature reached -10 in some areas which is a rare thing to happen.
Lunch today wasn’t a big meal,frankly we’re all fed up from everything so I made a dish of avocado dip and fried some potatoes then topped them with herbs,garlic powder and cheese. We still have some shepherd pie from yesterday. very satisfying meal !
As for dessert I made Mom’s versions of this old Arabic sweet , baked Zaynab fingers or tweitat as some people call them. I know most people usually deep fry them but this recipe differs cause they’re baked not fried,less guilt for sure.
Though I posted the recipe before but I’ll write it again better for easier accessibility.
Ingredients and method:
2 cups plain flour.
2 cups whole wheat flour.
1 cup olive oil.( or half olive and half vegetable oil)
1 small spoon of instant yeast.
1 small spoon grounded fennel,anise and cinnamon.
Half a cup of sesame seeds. (سمسم محمص).
Half a cup of black seeds,I think they’re called sativa (الحبه السوداء.قزحه ).
1/2 cup sugar.
Pinch of salt.
For the syrup:
3 cups granulated sugar.
1 and 1/2 cups water.
1 small spoon lemon juice.
Boil all ,then leave to simmer till syrup is thick (30- 35 minutes).
* Mix all ingredients then start adding warm water (almost a cup) and knead well till you form a ball.
* Leave it to rest for half an hour then form it to small balls.
* Spread each ball on a grater and roll it to make it as fingers.(I use the hand grater)
*Bake in a well heated oven till bottom is brown.then roast surface as well.
Dip in syrup then remove..leave to cool and serve.
sweets before baking.
Avocado dip.
French fries with tomato chili dip.
Great in this snow 🙂
This link will show you how to roll the sweets,hope you find it useful .
Barbara Sweet ( حلوى البرباره).
Hello everybody.
Today I made this kind of sweet usually done by Christians in the Levant region on the 5th of December celebrating Saint Barbara feast which is a traditional holy event.
Learned how to do this sweet from our lovely Lebanese neighbor long time ago,she used to make a big dish to each house in the neighborhood may God rest her loving soul. Mom continued to make it throughout the years and I’ve been doing it also,I guess in the memory of the good old days in Jabal Al-Hussein.
Ingredients and method:
* 1 kg of pealed wheat ( قمح مقشور).
* 1 cup sugar.
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
* 1 cup raisins.
* 1 tablespoon ground anise.
* 1 tsp ground fennel (optional)
* coconut,sweetened anise seed,candy and nuts (for decorating the top)
* boil the wheat either in a pressure cooker or regular pan till done and water is little and thick.
* add cinnamon,anise,sugar and raisins and leave to boil for another 20-30 minutes on very low heat till all mixture is syrupy and thick.
* pour in small or big dishes as you prefer and garnish with coconuts,candied anise ( قمبز) or any kind of candy or nuts.
Serve hot in this cold weather, yummy yummy.
