Maronchinos (Almond Biscuits)

With Passover coming soon, it's a great time to try out some wheat-free recipes. Adapted from Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food, we made these little almond biscuits and they turned out a huge success. It takes about 10 minutes to make, but the richness of the almond and rose essence give the impression you labored over them for at least a day. The biscuits are delicately moist and can go well either with coffee or tea or as a dessert.    

The Ingredients:

400 gr ground almonds

125 gr sugar

3 drops almond essence

3 drops rose essence

1 tbs vanilla extract 

2 eggs, lightly beaten

The Recipe:

In a large bowl mix the almonds and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands to get a smooth paste. Roll into walnut-sized balls, flatten them slightly with your finger and place in a baking dish on a greased baking paper. Bake in the oven at 180 C for 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

 

 

 

Pasteles de Carne, Salonika Meat-Filled Pies

The recipe for these meat pies comes from the traditions of the Sefaradi Jewish community in Salonika, Greece. Our job last weekend required us to plan a Shabbat meal for 16 teenagers and we were sure these pies would be a success. Like many other recipes we've been trying lately this one was adapted from the excellent Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden. The recipe requires some work, but is well worth the effort.

Ingredients (makes 15-18 pieces):

(for the dough)

125ml sunflower oil

125ml warm water

1/2 tsp salt

about 350 gr flour

(for the filling)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 tbs sunflower oil

250 gr minced beef

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper

1 hard boil egg, chopped

1 egg lightly beaten

4 tbs finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

The Recipe

The dough 

To make the dough mix the oil, water and salt with a fork in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour, first mixing with a fork and then continuing with your hands. Continue to add flour until the dough feels soft and springy, like the lobe of your ear. Leave aside covered in saran-wrap at room temperature (do not refridgerate).

The filling

To make the filling fry the onion in oil until golden. Add the beef, salt and plenty of pepper. Stir occasionally until the meat changes color. Mix in the sugar, cumin and cinnamon. Also add the pine nuts if you choose to use them. Add about 4 tbs water and cook for 5 minutes more. Let it cool, then add the rest of the ingredients.

To make the pies

Take lumps of dough the size of a small egg and shape into a ball. Hollow them out with your fingers and shape into little pots with straight sides. Make the walls as thin as possible. Fill with the mixture. Cover each pie with a flat lid made by flattening a tiny ball of dough. Pinch the edges together all around to seal the pies.

Arrange on trays and brush the top with a beaten egg. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes or until golden. 

New Year's Gefilte Fish

Here's a recipe we adapted for new year's eve from another excellent and famous cookbook we sometimes use: "The Book of Jewish Food" by Claudia Roden. Roden has traveled far to collect traditional recipes from Jewish homes around the globe. The result is a historical masterpiece on Jewish cuisine with an abundance of successful recipes.

Gefilte Fish was traditionally served as stuffed fish skin with chopped fish inside. Today only the stuffing is prepared by poaching fish balls in fish stock and serving them with stock jelly and carrot. It's not difficult work, but it takes a while as these balls need to go through several procedures.

The Ingredients:

(for the stock)

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, sliced

2 fish heads

2 tsp salt

3 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper

(for the fish balls)

1 medium onion

2 eggs

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

white pepper

75 gr matzo meal

1 kg fresh water fish fillets, skinned. Try to get carp for this. We used a mix of cod and halibut, but the balls didn't turn out firm enough.

The Recipe:

Put the stock ingredients in a saucepan, add 2.5 liters water  to cover the fish. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

For the fish balls put the onion, eggs, salt, sugar and pepper in a food processor and blend to a cream. Pour into a bowl and stir in the matzo meal. Next, cut the fish into pieces and mix in the food processor, making sure it is finely chopped but not paste. Add the fish to the eggs and matzo meal, mix well and keep covered in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.

Shape the mixture into fist size balls with your hands wet, lower to the fish stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool, then take the balls out and arrange in a serving dish in one layer. Reduce the fish stock and strain it over the fish. Finally decorate with the carrot slices.

Leave to cool overnight in the refrigerator to let the jelly to form.