[Sca-cooks] looking for middle eastern

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Here is Part Three of Middle Eastern Buffet Recipes.

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SWEETS
Rutab Mu'assal - Honeyed Dates - stuffed with almonds, scented with rosewater
Sliced Oranges with Rosewater and Cinnamon
Lauzinaj - Phyllo-wrapped rose-scented marzipan
carrot paste
hais
bowls of dried fruit - especially apricots
and nuts (no pecans or peanuts or cashews)
but walnuts, almond, filberts/hazelnuts, and pine nuts are good

BEVERAGES
beverage syrups:
lemon
pomegrante
mint
Coffee Ras al-hanout

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RUTAB MU'ASSAL (HONEYED DATES) - STUFFED WITH ALMONDS, SCENTED WITH ROSEWATER
Serves 100 to 150

NOTE: This does not need to be kept refrigerated or chilled

Although I find even dates NOT cooked in honey to be cloyingly sweet, 
they were a big hit. People came from the dining room to pick them 
off the trays after my course had been removed.

Original Recipe:
Take fresh-gathered dates, and lay in the shade and air for a day: 
then remove the stones, and stuff with peeled almonds. For every ten 
ratls of dates, take two ratls of honey: boil over the fire with two 
uqiya of rose-water and half a dirham of saffron, then throw in the 
dates, stirring for an hour. Remove, and allow to cool. When cold, 
sprinkle with fine-ground sugar scented with musk,camphor and 
hyacinth. Put into glass preserving-jars, sprinkling on top with some 
of the scented ground-sugar. Cover, until the weather is cold and 
chafing dishes are brought in.

al-Kitab al-Tabikh (The Book of Dishes) by Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn 
Muhammad ibn Karim al-Katib al-Baghdadi. On p. 88, "Medieval Arab 
Cookery", and p. 39, "In a Caliph's Kitchen")

My Recipe:
100 pitted Deglett-Noor dates
200 blanched peeled whole almonds
1-1/2 cups honey
1 capful rose water, Cortas brand - or more to taste

1. Put 2 almonds into each date, one at a time. Some dates won't hold 
2 almonds. Also, check for pits - dates are mechanically pitted and 
the machine could miss something and you don't want to break any of 
your diner's teeth. Since dates are dry, do this over several days. 
No rush.
2. When all dates are filled, warm up honey in a saucepan on medium 
heat until it flows smoothly.
3. When honey is warm, stir rosewater into it.
4. Then put dates into the pan of honey on the stove. There should be 
just barely enough to cover the dates on medium-low heat. DO NOT STIR.
5. When honey just gets bubbly around the edges, remove from heat and 
let cool. DO NOT STIR. I assume the dates they used were somewhat 
hard. Most of our dates are pretty soft and stirring them after 
they've cooked in the honey will break them up or even dissolve them.

NOTE: While there are some wonderful delicious soft dates, don't use 
them. They'll practically dissolve in the warm honey. While in my 
opinion Deglett-Noor are not good to eat as they are, because they 
are dry, they are perfect for heating up as they retain their shape 
as long as you don't stir them.

I've heard that the following is Medieval, but I haven't yet seen a 
Medieval recipe for it.

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SLICED ORANGES WITH ROSEWATER AND CINNAMON
Moroccan/Andalusian

This is a modern recipe, but i hear from time to time that there is 
reference to a dish like it in the Andalusian or Spanish corpus, but 
i don't recall seeing it there, so until i see the reference i would 
qualify this as peri-oid.

NOTE: If you have the facilities, take the ingredients and tools with 
you, and make this on site. It's better fresh, but should be fine if 
made earlier in the day.

5 lb bag sweet oranges
1 cup sugar
2 Tb. cinnamon
2 Tb. orange flower water
2 Tb. rose water

1. Cut of the ends of each orange and peel off orange skin - leave white pith.
2. Slice oranges crosswise, across the sections. Remove seeds as necessary.
3. Put oranges into large shallow bowls.
4. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, then with flower waters.
5. Toss to distribute seasonings.
6. Keep cold until serving.
7. They can be garnished with a bit more cinnamon just before serving.

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LAUZINAJ - PHYLLO-WRAPPED ROSE-SCENTED MARZIPAN
Serves 100

NOTE: Cook shortly before going. Can be kept in the refrigerator 
overnight. It should travel ok without refrigeration. I would suggest 
not pouring on the honey until shortly before serving.

This is a originally a Persian dish. References to it can be found in 
pre-Muslim Persian literature. It was the only dish in the pre-Muslim 
legendary history "King Khusraw and His Page" recommended as being 
suitable for both summer and winter.

Isa ibn Hisham said, "Bring us some throat-easing Lauzinaj, for it 
slips into the veins. Let it be... [fresh], the crust paper thin, 
generously filled, pearled with almond oil, starry in color, melting 
before it meets the teeth..."

Another writer said, "lauzinaj... in a wrapper as gossamer as 
grasshopper wings."

Original Recipes:
Lauzinaj: One part almonds, pounded coarsely. Put a like quantity of 
finely pounded sugar on it with a third as much rosewater, and melt 
it with it. When it thickens, throw one part sugar on it and take it 
from the fire. It is dry lauzinaj.

As For The Moist: It is that you take a pound of finely milled sugar, 
and you take a third of a pound of finely milled blanched almonds, 
and knead it with rose-water. Take thin bread such as sanbusak bread 
- it is better if even thinner; the best and most suitable is kunafa 
- and spread out a sheet of that bread and put the kneaded sugar and 
almonds on it, then roll it up and cut it in small pieces. Arrange 
them in a vessel and refine as much fresh sesame oil as needed and 
put it on them. Then cover them with syrup dissolved with rose-water 
and sprinkle them with sugar and finely pounded pistachios, and serve.

Another Variety: It is that you take starch [sc. flour?] and knead it 
hard, and as much as it stiffens, thin it carefully so that it 
becomes like fresh milk. Take the carved mirror and heat it and pour 
in it with the "emptier" and take it up. Then roll up pistachios, 
sugar, musk, and rosewater in it. Pack them snugly, cut them, and put 
hot sesame oil and syrup on them, and sprinkle them with sugar. This 
can be eaten right away.

The Book of the Description of Familiar Foods - which has over 1/2 
dozen Lauzinaj recipes - pp. 456-457;also in al-Baghdadi's The Book 
of Dishes, on p. 84, both in Medieval Arab Cookery

My Recipe:

NOTES:
1) This is a modern adaption - there was definitely some sort of thin 
dough for the wrapper, but I don't know if it was as fine as modern 
phyllo. And the filling may not have been as finely ground as modern 
marzipan, but it was easier to make this way.

2) I special ordered the marzipan from a market in Berkeley. I might 
also have been able to get it from a bakery. There are sometimes 
small packets or cans in the supermarket, if you need to fall back on 
this.

3) Also, I would consider grinding some almonds and stirring them 
into the marzipan for more color and texture, as I found the marzipan 
too sweet (but then, I don't like sweet things very much).

1 package phyllo / filo dough sheets
5 pounds marzipan (almonds, sugar, bitter almonds)
several capsful rose water, Cortas brand
1 cup light sesame oil or clarified unsalted butter
1 cup honey
6 ounces shelled natural (i.e., uncolored) pistachio nuts

NOTE: The directions look complicated, but this was actually a rather 
simple and easy procedure.

Thaw and prepare phyllo according to package directions - thaw for 
several hours then place on a clean plate, cover with waxed paper and 
then with a clean damp towel. Do not let the towel touch the phyllo.
2. Put marzipan in a large bowl and with the hands work rose water into it.
Prepare a clean dry surface large enough to hold 10 marzipan snakes 
about 1/2 inch in diameter as as long as the largest dimension of 
your phyllo sheets. Cover with waxed paper.
4. Then with the hands, roll the marzipan into "snakes" no more than 
1/2" in diameter and as long as the longest dimension of your phyllo 
sheets, then place them on the waxed papered surface. Make ten 
"snakes".
5. Prepare a clean dry baking sheet about the size of a phyllo sheet 
- cover with baker's "parchment" - this is a type of paper available 
in baking and gourmet shops. It will keep the pastry from sticking to 
the pan.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
7. Cover another clean dry surface the size of a phyllo sheet with 
waxed paper. Fold back the damp towel and the waxed paper, very 
carefully and gently remove one phyllo sheet, and place on prepared 
waxed paper surface. Recover remaining phyllo sheets.
8. With a pastry brush, gently brush phyllo sheet with sesame oil, 
being sure to get the edges very well.
9.  Again, gently take a phyllo sheet from the pile, lay it on top of 
the first prepared sheet, and brush well with sesame oil.
10. Then place one marzipan "snake" about 1" from the long edge of 
the phyllo sheets. Carefully draw up the one inch margin over the 
"snake", then roll "snake" in the dough.
11. Gently remove phyllo-wrapped "snake" to parchment  covered baking 
sheet and brush well with sesame oil.
12. Continue process of brushing phyllo sheets with oil, layering 
them, and rolling marzipan "snakes" in them, then transferring them 
to baking sheet and brushing outer surface with oil. Repeat until you 
have make ten "snakes".
13. Although my directions look long, this whole process went rapidly 
with me and one assistant.
14. With a sharp knife mark the top "snake" into ten equal pieces. 
Then with the knife, cut through all ten "snakes" so that you have 
one hundred pieces. Size will vary depending on size of phyllo
sheets. Mine were 18 inches in the largest dimension, so each cut 
piece was approximately 1-3/4 inches long.
15. Put baking sheet in center of oven and bake for about 5 minutes. 
Check to see if pastries are browning evenly. If not, turn pan so 
paler pieces are in the warmer part of the oven.
16. Bake for several more minutes and check again. The phyllo will 
brown fairly quickly and you don't want to over cook them. Most ovens 
don't heat exactly accurately, some being hotter and some cooler, 
which is why it is important to check frequently.
17. When pastries are a medium golden-brown, remove from oven and let 
cool on heat-proof surface.
18. If you decide they aren't brown enough, you can reheat them 
before serving.19. Just before serving, gently and carefully remove 
pastries from baking sheet onto serving plates, drizzle with warm 
honey and sprinkle with crushed pistachio nuts.

NOTE 1: I used three large baking sheets as work surfaces - one 
covered with waxed paper for the marzipan "snakes", a second covered 
with waxed paper to hold unfolded phyllo sheets and on which "snakes" 
were rolled in phyllo, and a third on which to actually bake the 
phyllo-wrapped marzipan. All the sheets were approximately 18 inches 
long and 12 inches wide.

NOTE 2: For the event, the marzipan snakes were a bit larger in 
diameter and only wrapped in one sheet of phyllo. The directions 
above will make what I think is a better pastry.

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Carrot Paste

ORIGINAL
The 13th c. Anonymous Andalusian cookbook
translated by Charles Perry

Take a ratl of carrots, of which you have cleaned the interior. Cook 
it in a ratl of water, some two boilings, then take it off the fire 
and let it dry a little, over a sieve. Add it to three ratls of 
honey, cleaned of its foam, and cook all this until it takes the form 
of a paste. Then season it with ginger, galingale, cubeb and flowers 
[of clove?], half an ûqiya in all for each ratl. Eat it like a 
nut at meals. Its benefits: it fortifies coitus and increases desire 
beautifully; it is admirable.

MY VERSION

5 lb. carrots
5 c. water
2-1/2 lb. honey
2 cups sugar
1 Tb. + 1-1/2 tsp. ginger
1 Tb. + 1-1/2 tsp. galingale
1 Tb. + 1-1/2 tsp. cubeb
1 Tb. + 1-1/2 tsp. clove

1. Cook carrots in water until soft.
2. Add honey to carrots.
3. Cook until very tender, mashing a bit.
4. Add sugar and a bit more water.
5. Cook and continue mashing until it forms a paste. If you mash by 
hand, there will be some lumps, which is what i did. For a smoother 
paste, you could puree the pulp in a blender.
6. Remove from heat, then season it with ginger, galingale, cubeb and clove.

NOTES:
1. I added sugar instead of more honey because i think the flavor of 
the honey is overpowering, whereas sugar adds sweetness with a less 
assertive flavor.
2. This reminded me incredibly of a modern Gujarati sweet i've eaten 
which is made with grated carrots cooked with sugar, cardamom, other 
spices, and pistachios. It is also related to a modern Persian jam.
3. There were many favorable comments on this recipe. I thought it 
was delicious.

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Hais

al-Baghdadi p. 214/14

Take fine dry bread, or biscuit, and grind up well. Take a ratl of 
this, and three quarters of a ratl of fresh or preserved dates with 
the stones removed, together with three uqiya of ground almonds and 
pistachios. Knead all together very well with the hands. Refine two 
uqiya of sesame-oil, and pour over, working with the hand until it is 
mixed in. Make into cabobs, and dust with fine-ground sugar. If 
desired, instead of sesame-oil use butter. This is excellent for 
travellers.

2 2/3 c bread crumbs
2 c (about one lb) pitted dates - good dates
1/3 c ground almonds
1/3 c ground pistachios
7 T melted butter or sesame oil
enough sugar

Mix dates, bread crumbs, and nuts. Cariadoc and Elizabeth use a food 
processor or blender. Form into one inch balls.

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BEVERAGES

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Syrup of Pomegranates

Take a ratl of sour pomegranates and another of sweet pomegranates, 
and add their juice to two ratls of sugar, cook all this until it 
takes the consistency of syrup, and keep until needed. Its benefits: 
it is useful for fevers, and cuts the thirst, it benefits bilious 
fevers and lightens the body gently.

a ratl of sour pomegranates
a ratl of sweet pomegranates
two ratls of sugar

Mix pomegranate juice with sugar
Cook until it becomes a syrup.
Drink mixed with water.

To make it easier on yourself, get unsweetened pomegranate juice at 
health food store or Middle Eastern market, then cook with sugar to 
make syrup.

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Syrup of Lemon

Take lemon, after peeling its outer skin, press it and take a ratl of 
juice, and add as much of sugar. Cook it until it takes the form of a 
syrup. Its advantages are for the heat of bile; it cuts the thirst 
and binds the bowels.

a ratl of lemon juice
a ratl of of sugar

Mix juice and sugar.
Cook until forms a syrup.
Drink mixed with water. I think we did about 1 part syrup to 5 parts water.

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Syrup of Tamarind

Take a ratl of tamarind and steep in five ratls of water, throw away 
the dregs immediately and add the clarified water to a ratl of sugar. 
Cook all this until it takes the form of a syrup. Drink two uqiyas of 
it in three of cold water. It is beneficial in jaundice, and takes it 
away easily; it cuts bilious vomit and thirst, awakens the appetite 
to eat, and takes the bitterness of food out of the mouth.

a ratl of tamarind
five ratls of water
a ratl of sugar

Steep tamarind in water. I recommend smooshing it with your fingers 
in a small amount of water first, to get it mixed as well as possible.
When well mixed, strain and retain the clarified liquid, discarding 
fibers and seeds.
Mix liquid with sugar in a saucepan.
Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until it 
forms a syrup.
Cool.
To drink, mix two parts syrup with three of cold water, says the 
original recipe. I suggest taste testing...

Of course, you can find tamarind syrup in various ethnic markets - to 
save yourself time.

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Syrup of Mint: Way of Making It

Take mint and basil, citron and cloves, a handful of each, and cook 
all this in water to cover, until its substance comes out, and add 
the clear part of it to a ratl of sugar. The bag: an uqiya of flower 
of cloves, and cook all this until a syrup is made. Its benefits: it 
frees bodies that suffer from phlegm, and cuts phlegmatic urine, 
fortifies the liver and the stomach and cheers it a great deal; in 
this it is admirable.

I haven't made this yet, but it's definitely on my list of things to try.

a handful of mint
a handful of basil
a handful of citron (leaves? peel?)
a handful of cloves (reduce quantity)
water to cover
a ratl of sugar

Cook in water until "its substance comes out"
Strain.
Cook clarified liquid with sugar until a syrup is formed.
Drink mixed with water.

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The Great Cheering Syrup: Way of Making It

Take half a ratl each of borage, mint, and citron leaves, cook them in
water to cover until their strength comes out, then take the clean part
and add it to a ratl of sugar. Then put in the bag: a spoonful each of
aloe stems, Chinese rhubarb, Chinese cinnamon, cinnamon and clove
flowers; pound all these coarsely, place them in a cloth, tie it well,
and place it in the kettle, macerate it again and again until its
substance passes out, and cook until [the liquid] takes the consistency
of syrups. Take one uqiya with three of hot water. Benefits: It profits
[preceding two words apparently supplied; in parentheses in printed
Arabic text] weak stomachs, fortifies the liver and cheers the heart,
digests foods, and lightens the constitution gently, God willing.

half a ratl of borage
half a ratl of mint
half a ratl of citron leaves
water to cover
a ratl of sugar

The Bag:
a spoonful of aloe stems
a spoonful of Chinese rhubarb
a spoonful of Chinese cinnamon
a spoonful of cinnamon
a spoonful of clove flowers

Cook borage, mint, and citron leaves in water to cover until their 
strength comes out
Strain and add liquid to sugar.

The bag:
Pound coarsely aloe stems [probably aloeswood], Chinese rhubarb, 
Chinese cinnamon, cinnamon and clove flowers.
Place pounded spices in a cloth and tie it well.
Place the cloth "bag" in the kettle, macerate it again and again 
until its substance passes out.
Remove bag and cook until [the liquid] takes the consistency of syrup.
Drink one uqiya of spice syrup with three of hot water.

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A Syrup of Honey

Take a quarter uqiya each of cinnamon, flower of cloves and ginger,
mastic, nutmeg, Chinese cinnamon, Sindi laurel, Indian lavender, Roman
spikenard, elder twigs, elder seeds, oil of nutmeg, bitter and sweet
nuts, large and small cardamom, wild spikenard, galingale, aloe stems,
saffron, and sedge. Pound all this coarsely, tie it in a cloth, and put
it in the kettle with fifteen ratls of water and five of honey, cleaned
of its foam. Cook all this until it is at the point of drinking. Drink
an uqiya and a half, and up to two, with hot water. Its benefit is for
weak livers; it fortifies the stomach and benefits dropsy among other
ailments; it dissolves phlegm from all parts of the body and heats it a
great deal, gives gaiety, lightens the body, and it was used by the
ancients like wine for weariness.

I haven't tried this yet, either, and it will need some adjustment - 
subsitutions for some ingredients and some just left out.

a quarter uqiya of cinnamon
a quarter uqiya of flower of cloves
a quarter uqiya of ginger
a quarter uqiya of mastic
a quarter uqiya of nutmeg
a quarter uqiya of Chinese cinnamon
a quarter uqiya of Sindi laurel [probably malabathron leaves]
----- use bay leaves - South Asians living in America do
----- Sind was the old name for what is now Pakistan
a quarter uqiya of Indian lavender
a quarter uqiya of Roman spikenard
a quarter uqiya of elder twigs, elder seeds
a quarter uqiya of oil of nutmeg
----- just use grated nutmeg - too much nutmeg oil can be hazardous
a quarter uqiya of bitter and sweet nuts
a quarter uqiya of large and small cardamom
a quarter uqiya of wild spikenard
a quarter uqiya of galingale
a quarter uqiya of aloe stems [aloeswood?]
a quarter uqiya of saffron
a quarter uqiya of sedge

Pound all this coarsely.
Tie it in a cloth.

Put "the bag" in a large kettle with:
fifteen ratls of water
five of honey

Cook all this until it is at the point of drinking.

Drink an uqiya and a half, and up to two, with hot water.

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MOROCCAN COFFEE RAS EL-HANOUT

my version, derived from, but not identical to Paula Wolfert, 
"Couscous and other good food from Morocco". Coffee was drunk in the 
Near East VERY LATE in SCA period (15th & 16th c.), in the Yemen and 
Ottoman Turkey, as well as some other places. I have no idea when 
Moroccans started drinking coffee - certainly no sooner than the 16th 
century - nor when they began spicing their coffee, so this is most 
likely OOP

Ras el-Hanout for coffee - Makes approx. 1/3 c. of spice blend

12-16 dried rosebuds
15 white or green cardamom pods
2 whole nutmegs - 4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tb ground ginger
4 sticks cinnamon - 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground galangal - also called laos (Indonesian) / kha (Thai)
1/2 tsp. ground mace
12 whole cloves - 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. whole grains of Paradise
3/4 tsp ground WHITE pepper
1 Tb. white sesame seeds

Before grinding the nutmegs, I cut each one in quarters.
Grind all ingredients in electric coffee grinder.
Store in glass bottle in cool dark place.
Makes about 1/3 cup of spice blend.

To make coffee:
Add 1/4 tsp. spice mix to every 1/2 c. ground coffee before brewing.
Problem: it clogs paper filters.
So, i'd say, make the coffee, stir in the spices and keep warm, stirring.
Then let spices settle.

I normally don't drink coffee with sugar, but coffee with Ras 
el-Hanout really needs sugar to bring out the flavors of the spices.