[Sca-cooks] Semolina, Khabisa with Pamegranate

[Harold and Dinah Tackett]

----- Original Message ----- 
 Stefan scripsit:
> > didn't have semolina flour (isn't it used in pasta making? Doesn't
> > anyone make their own pasta anymore?), so I tried all purpose flour.
From: "a5foil" <a5foil at ix.netcom.com> snipped:
> Semolina is more coarsely ground than regular flour, and it also has a
> higher gluten content. You might have better luck with bread flour as a
> substitute.
> 
> Is the Khabisa with Pomegranate a modern dish or a medieval one? If it's a
> medieval one, you might actually need cracked wheat instead of semolina
> flour. I don't know about other languages, but the Catalan 'semola' actually
> means cracked wheat.
> Cynara

    "Khabisa with Pomegranate" is from "An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th. Century" translated by Charles Perry,  (webbed at http://www.best.com/~ddfr/Medieval/Cookbooks/Andalusian/andalusian_contents.htm ) and specifically calls for Semolina. Considering the constancy of the finished cookies, I do not think that Cracked wheat would work as well (but I will try it :)
Below is my recipe with the original.
Dinah / Sayyida Dinah bint Ismai'l


Khabîsa with Pomegranate 

Take half a ratl of sugar and put it in a metal or earthenware pot and pour in three ratls of juice of sweet table pomegranates [rummân sufri; probably tart pomegranates were more common in cooking] and half an û qiya of rosewater, with a penetrating smell. Boil it gently and after two boilings, add half a mudd of semolina and boil it until the semolina is cooked. Throw in the weight of a quarter dirham of ground and sifted saffron, and three û qiyas of almonds. Put it in a dish and sprinkle over it the like of pounded sugar, and make balls [literally, hazelnuts] of this.

 

My redaction:

2 ½ cups Sugar

3 tbs. Pomegranate Syrup

2 ½ cups Water

1/3 cup Rosewater

1 1/3 to 1 ½ lbs. Semolina, Fine Grain

10 to 12 oz. Ground Almonds

4 or 5 threads of Saffron

Power Sugar to roll in 

 

                Add sugar, pomegranate syrup, water and rosewater together. Bring to boil, cooking until the syrup stage (approximately 200 F). Add the Semolina, cook until done. Soak Saffron in 2-tbs. warm water, until colored. Add saffron water and almonds to Semolina mix. 

                Let cool down until you can handle it. Form into balls about the size of a walnut. Roll balls in powered sugar. Serve, makes about 60 balls.