[Sca-cooks] Kiri's feast

[Elaine Koogler]

Thanks for your kind words.

Here is the recipe for the Alaju:
Manual de mugeres translated by Meisterine Karen Larsdatter (a 16th C. 
Spanish manuscript)

 Recipe for making a conserve of alajú (a delicacy of Arabic origin, 
basically a paste made of almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts, toasted 
breadcrumbs, spices, and honey).

Knead together well-sifted flour with oil and water. And leave the dough 
somewhat hard and knead it well. And make thin cakes and cook them well, 
so they can be ground; and grind them and sift them. And then take a 
celemín of ground cleaned walnuts, and two pounds of ground toasted 
almonds. And while you crush the walnuts and almonds, mix them. Put a 
well-measured azumbre of honey to the fire, and the best that you can 
find, skim it and return it to the fire. And when the honey rises, add 
the walnuts and almonds in it. And cook it until the honey is cooked. 
And when it is, remove it from the fire and put with it a half a celemín 
of the grated flour cakes, and mix it well. And then add a half-ounce of 
cloves and another half (ounce) of cinnamon, and two nutmegs, all 
ground-up. And then repeat the stirring a lot. And then make it into 
cakes or put it in boxes, whichever you desire more.

My redaction (with the assistance of Mistress Rose of Black Diamond):

1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup Walnuts, ground
1 cup almonds, toasted and ground
1cup honey
1/8 tsp. cloves, ground
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Toast almonds.  Grind almonds and walnuts together. 
Heat honey until it boils up.  Add the almond/walnut mixture and 
continue cooking until 250º on a candy thermometer. 
Add the breadcrumbs, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix together well.
Press into molds or a pan, and turn out to finish drying.

 Made 3 doz. Small heart cakes.

Hope you enjoy it!

Kiri

Heleen Greenwald wrote:

>Wow Kiri,
>Your menu sounds totally delicious!! Can you please share the recipe for the
>Alaju, in particular.... it sounds just wonderful!!!
>Thank you in advance!
>Phillipa
>  
>
-- 
Learning is a lifetime journey...growing older merely adds experience to 
knowledge and wisdom to curiosity.
					-- C.E. Lawrence