The Hirshon Lebanese Pistachio Maamoul Cookies – معمول

June 16, 2018 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

The Hirshon Lebanese Maamoul Cookies - معمول

Maamoul Image Used Under Creative Commons License From kandamall.com

Greetings to my Muslim Citizens who have just finished the holy fasting month of Ramadan with the holiday of Eid al-Fitr! These delicious nut cookies from Lebanon are a classic accompaniment to the Eid al-Fitr holiday, as well as Easter for Lebanese Christians!

Maamoul is an ancient Arab dessert filled pastry or cookie made with dates, pistachios or nuts such as walnuts (occasionally almonds). They may be in the shape of balls, domed or flattened cookies. They can either be decorated by hand or be made in special wooden molds.

Maamoul is usually made a few days before Eid, then stored to be served with Arabic coffee and chocolate to the guests who come during the holiday. It is popular throughout the Arab world, especially in the Levant.

Maamoul originate from date-filled kahk, a similar cookie eaten by Egyptians for Eid al-Fitr and Easter. Kahk have been eaten in Egypt since the Eighteenth Dynasty, 3500 years ago, and have been part of the Eid feast since the 10th century AD Tulunid dynasty. The Arabic word Ma’amoul (Arabic: معمول‎) is derived from the Arabic verb Arabic: ‘amala‎, meaning to “to do”.

Many households keep a stock of them all year round, but they are particularly used on religious festivals.

Muslims eat them at night during Ramadan and on the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays, Arab Christians and Greeks eat them in the days before Lent, on Easter Sunday and on the feast of Epiphany. In the Christian traditions of the Mediterranean area, the cookies are marked with a cross, or shaped into rings to symbolize the crown of Jesus.

They are also popular among Syrian, Lebanese and Egyptian Jewish communities, where ma’amoul with nut fillings are eaten on Purim, and ma’amoul with date fillings are eaten on Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah. The Levantine Jewish version of maamoul differs from the Levantine or Turkish versions by being made with pure white flour and no semolina, today this variation is eaten in Syrian and Egyptian Jewish communities in the Diaspora.

You don’t need tabbeh (a beautifully carved wooden mold for making maamoul at home) to make maamoul, but the molds are traditionally used to give the cookies their distinctive shapes and ornate designs. Circular molds are traditionally used for date maamoul and oblong for nut maamoul. You can buy the proper maamoul mold for this recipe here.

Some bakers shape maamoul by hand or use the tines of a fork or a metal pincher to decorate the cookies. Other bakers make a simple bar cookie variation on maamoul (maamoul madd) with a layer of filling between shortbread crusts.

My version is spiced to TFD standards – I hope you enjoy it, my Citizens! 😀

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Lebanese Pistachio Maamoul Cookies – معمول

Ingredients

2 pounds farina (the very fine semolina)
⅔ cup coarse semolina
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
½ cup orange blossom water
½ cup rose water
1 tablespoon mahleb
1 tsp. Vanilla paste
½ tsp. freshly-grated nutmeg
21 ounces butter, to be clarified
***
Filling:
1 ½ cup raw pistachios
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. freshly-ground green cardamom
3 tablespoons orange blossom wate

Instructions

Start by clarifying the butter: In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over low heat; remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as it has melted. Set aside for 10 minutes. You will notice the milk solids fall to the bottom.
Strain it through a wire sieve lined with several layers with cheesecloth. Pour the melted butter over the cheesecloth and get rid of the milk solids. Now you have the clarified butter.
Mix the farina and coarse semolina in a large bowl. Pour the clarified butter and knead with you hands to infuse all together. Set aside (the semolina mix needs to rest for 6 hours) .
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: place the raw pistachios in a food processor and pulse a few times to considerably grind the pistachios. Transfer to a bowl, add the sugar, cardamom and orange blossom water, and mix well to fully incorporate. Set aside.
When 6 hours have passed on soaking the semolina mix, add the all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, mahlab, canola oil, orange blossom water, vanilla paste, nutmeg and rose water.
Knead the sticky dough for a minute or until the dough is soft and silky. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it to rest for 1 more hour.
To put together: Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Place a rack in the center of the oven
After 1 hour, knead the dough again and divide it into equal balls, roughly the size of an apricot. Make a hole in the center of each ball, with your finger fill the hole with a teaspoon of the pistachio filling. Seal the hole patching the dough together and roll it into a ball.
Transfer each stuffed ball into the mold, pressing it lightly in to level it up with the mold. Gently tap the mold on a counter top, converting it and the maamoul will come out.
Place it on the cookie sheet, keep the maamoul 2cm/1 inch apart. Bake about 15-20 minutes to a golden color. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down, then dust with powdered sugar.

https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-lebanese-pistachio-maamoul-cookies-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%88%d9%84/

The Hirshon Anglo-Indian Mulligatawny Soup

June 16, 2018 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

Mulligatawny Image Used Under Creative Commons License From krumpli.co.uk

Citizens, there are very few ‘fusion’ recipes here on TFD Nation, as I prefer to share recipes that have a pure, unadulterated history and continuity within their land of origin. That said, mulligatawny has become a standard in both the UK and even in India, despite being a corrupted recipe from its origins – and since it is totally delicious, I shall indeed share it with you!

Mulligatawny is an English soup with origins in Indian cuisine. The name originates from the Tamil words miḷagāy (Tamil: மிளகாய் ‘chili’) or miḷagu (மிளகு ‘pepper’), and taṇṇi (தண்ணி, ‘water’). It is related to the classic Indian soup known as rasam.

Due to its popularity in England during the British Raj, it was one of the few items of Indian cuisine that found common mention in the literature of the period.

However over the course of time, a lot of other ingredients such coconut, meat and other spices were added to give it a completely different flavor. The dish quickly became popular throughout the colonies of the Commonwealth. The Mulligatawny Soup of today bears little resemblance to the original ‘MELLIGU –THANI’.

Recipes for mulligatawny varied greatly over the years, and there is no single original version. Later versions included British modifications that included meat, though the local Madras recipe on which it was based did not. Early references to it in English go back to 1784.

In 1827, William Kitchiner wrote that it had become fashionable in Britain:

Mullaga-Tawny signifies pepper water. The progress of inexperienced peripatetic Palaticians has lately been arrested by this outlandish word being pasted on the windows of our Coffee-Houses; it has, we believe, answered the “Restaurateurs’ ” purpose, and often excited John Bull, to walk in and taste—the more familiar name of Curry Soup—would, perhaps, not have had sufficient of the charms of novelty to seduce him from his much-loved Mock-Turtle.

It is a fashionable Soup and a great favourite with our East Indian friends, and we give the best receipt we could procure for it.

— The Cook’s Oracle; Containing Recipes for Plain Cookery on the Most Economical Plan for Private Families

My Citizens, my version is anything but pedestrian – it calls not for a tired old curry powder from a jar, but an actual fresh curry paste. I have every confidence you will find this fusion worthy of its classic status! 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Anglo-Indian Mulligatawny Soup

Ingredients

Curry paste:
4 fresh red jalapenos, seeded
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
¼ teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon kalonji seeds
4 whole cloves
10 whole black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated ginger
***
Soup:
1 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound lamb meat, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons salt
3 ½ scant cups lamb stock
½ scant cup Thai coconut milk (Chaokoh brand preferred)
1 tbsp. tamarind paste
1 tbsp. tomato puree
1 large carrot, diced
1 large green apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 lemons, sliced

Instructions

Toast all whole spices in a hot pan until fragrant. Grind the curry paste ingredients into a smooth paste using a food processor or blender.
Melt the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat; fry the onion in the melted ghee until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the curry paste and lamb to the frying pan; cook and stir until the lamb is browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
Stir the lamb stock, tamarind paste and tomato puree into the lamb mixture; reduce heat to medium-low, cover the frying pan and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 30 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, curry leaves, carrot and apple; cook another 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Remove the lamb and curry leaves (discard the leaves, keep the lamb) from the mixture and set aside. Pour the rest of the soup into a blender. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree.
Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer back into the frying pan. Press on the contents of the strainer and remove and discard any large and hard pieces.
Add the lamb back to the frying pan, place over medium heat and cook until the soup is thoroughly reheated, about 5 minutes. Serve in warmed bowls; garnish with lemon slice.

https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-anglo-indian-mulligatawny-soup/

The Hirshon Macedonian Eggplant and Pepper Spread – малидзано

June 12, 2018 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

Malidzano Image Used Under Creative Commons License From pinterest.com

My Citizens, geopolitical compromise is running rampant this week to settle long-standing differences. First – North Korea and the United States. Today – Macedonia and Greece are on the threshold of settling a more than 20-year feud about the name of Macedonia itself!

As noted in a BBC article this morning:

Greece has reached a deal on the name of its northern neighbour, which called itself Macedonia at the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

After 27 years of talks – and many protests – they have settled on the name Republic of North Macedonia, or Severna Makedonija in Macedonian.

Greece had objected to the name Macedonia, fearing territorial claims on its eponymous northern region.

It had vetoed the neighbour’s bid to join Nato and the European Union.

The new name will now need to be approved by the Macedonian people and Greek parliament.

Under the deal, the country known at the United Nations as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom) will be named Severna Makedonija, or Republic of North Macedonia.

Its language will be Macedonian and its people known as Macedonians (citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia).

Significantly, they agreed that the new name would be used both internationally and bilaterally, so that even the 140 or more countries that recognise the name Macedonia will also have to adopt North Macedonia.

They also agreed that the English name could be used as well as the Slavic term.

Only time will tell if this passes muster in both Greece and Macedonia – but TFD remains ever-hopeful for a positive outcome!

Malidzano is a traditional Macedonian spread made from puréed bell peppers, eggplant, oil, salt and mustard (optional).

It derives its name from the Italian word for eggplant, melanzane. Malidzano is usually served as an appetizer with a side of bread like spread and a piece of white cheese.

In other countries of Western Balkans (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia), it is prepared with both green or red peppers so the color of the spread depends from that.

My Citizens, look at this as a baba ghanouj without the tahini and with some fantastic new flavor components – I promise, it will quickly become a new favorite of yours! 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Macedonian Eggplant and Pepper Spread – малидзано

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups crumbled sheeps milk feta cheese
½ cup finely ground walnuts
1 large pinch kosher salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp. strong mustard

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush eggplants lightly with olive oil, pierce the eggplant skin with a knife in several places, and place them in the oven. Roast until the skins are brown and the eggplant is soft, about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, cool slightly, peel, and cut into chunks. Salt lightly. Set aside in a bowl to drain off some of the liquid.
Roast yellow peppers until blackened, put them in a paper bag to steam for 15 minutes. When cool, remove skins and cut into pieces.
Place the eggplant and pepper chunks into the container of a food processor, along with the garlic, feta cheese, mustard, salt, pepper, walnuts, and olive oil. If it doesn't all fit, do this in batches then stir together.
Process until well blended with just a few small chunks. If needed, add a bit more olive oil. The consistency should be thick. Transfer to a bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Serve as a side dish or appetizer.

https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-macedonian-eggplant-and-pepper-spread-%d0%bc%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8%d0%b4%d0%b7%d0%b0%d0%bd%d0%be/