[Sca-cooks] Semolina, Khabisa with Pamegranate

[Harris Mark.S-rsve60]

Dinah / Sayyida Dinah bint Ismai'l replied to me with:
 
>>>>
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.
 
    "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
<<<<

Yes Dinah, this was the recipe I was talking about. It was in fact, your redaction I was working with. :-) From somebody's group of files called the Florithingie or some such.
 
>>>
My redaction:
 
2 1/2 cups Sugar
3 tbs. Pomegranate Syrup
2 1/2 cups Water
1/3 cup Rosewater
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 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.
<<<

My first mistake was not having semolina flour. I thought pastry and bread flours were at one end of the scale and semolina/pasta flours at the other, so for a substitute I chose some all-purpose flour.

Then when I started cooking it, I wasn't really sure how to detect the "syrup" stage, so I used a thermometer. My new electronic one had a dead battery, so I resorted to the mercury candy thermometer I had. It got to 200 degrees F very quickly, so I was unsure if I was supposed to cook it there for awhile or immediately add the flour. I did the former and let it cook for awhile, keeping the temperature near 200 degrees. Then I was unsure what "cook until done" really meant. When was it "done"? I added the ground almonds and the saffron. I cooked it for awhile but it didn't thicken appreciably. So I added more flour. Cooked some more, but it was still too thin to make into anything. So, more flour. It got thicker and I ate a sample. blech. It tasted mainly of flour and pomegranate. It also would have made rather grainy, squishy balls. So, I dumped it.

I had some of the candied horseradish that I had cooked previously which were formed into balls. I also made medieval gingerbread balls rolled in sugar and some Heathen Peas, which are balls of ground almonds and honey with spices. Basically this was for a pot luck feast celebration for the Laurel's officers, or maybe I should say ex-officers since we were celebrating getting rid of the Laurel's office and the paperwork, and it was now someone else's responsiblity. Any leftovers were then destined for the baronial dance revel that night, but we didn't get there.

Stefan