ME-revel-fds-art - 10/22/04 A collection of medieval Middle Eastern foods suitable for a revel or buffet by Anahita. NOTE: See also the files: ME-feasts-msg, olives-msg, chicken-msg, dates-msg, fd-Mid-East-msg, fd-Turkey-msg, finger-foods-msg, 14C-Fingerfds-art, Islamic-Feast-art, E-Arab-recip-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2004 11:59:33 -0700 From: lilinah at earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] looking for middle eastern To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Lady Sionnan wrote: > Hi there. I am looking to plan an event for this year in which it will have > a definite middle eastern theme (thousand and one arabian nights, > Concordia's crystal snowflake ball). I am looking to instead of a feast > provide what amounts to a never ending buffet through out the day and was > wondering what suggestions people might have as to where to look for > recipes, recipes or dishes. I've sent out recipes to several Laurel Vigils for Near or Middle Eastern personae. Since a Laurel Vigil is often something of a never ending buffet, i think they would be suitable. Here's a recent collection of recipes i sent to someone in Canada (i'm in The West). There are a couple non-period items which are marked as such. I'm send it in three parts as it is rather long Anahita ----- MENU ----- BREAD I suggest using Lavosh and any other Middle Eastern flat breads you can find. I get Persian and Afghani breads where i live. But Pita will do - pita as we know it is not like period breads - i can find no suggestion that they ate such a tough bread with a pocket. You can also use Ak-mak crackers (in health food stores and Middle Eastern markets in the US) - although from what i can gather, folks would have dampened the crackers to soften them. DIPS Sals Abyad = White Sauce - Spiced Walnut-Sesame Butter Badhinjan Buran = Princess Buran's Eggplant - pureed with yogurt and spices Isfanakh Mutajjan - Stir-fried Spinach SAVORY SIDES Zaitun Mubakhkhar - Smoked and Spiced Olives Jazr - Carrots with spiced oil and vinegar dressing Minted Cucumber Fresh Pickle Moroccan Carrot, Orange & Radish Salad - MODERN MEATS Andalusian "deviled" eggs Thumiyya - Chicken with garlic, lavender, and spices Barida - chicken cucumber salad merguez - lamb sausages with spices and lavender flowers Andalusian Spiced Meatballs - while recipe calls for lamb these can be beef, turkey, whatever Sinab - Mustard-almond-honey sauce for meatballs 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 - is period only for the very late 15th and the 16th centuries even in the Near East. But what the heck, i drink it at events and my persona is from the first half of the 10th century. I use my version of Paula Wolfert's Ras al-hanout for Coffee. I drink my coffee and tea unsweetened, but coffee with this ras al-hanout is definitely better slightly sweetened - the sugar seems to bring out the flavors of the spices, gums, and flowers in the blend. Masala Chai - As far as i can tell it isn't period, but it's tasty and warming. Hearing it called "chai tea" drives me nuts, and i was already close enough to walk. "Chai" means "tea", so that's like saying "tea tea". Well, enough ranting. Masala chai is tasty and warming, as i said, and i like it myself with milk and no sweetener. ----- RECIPES PART ONE ----- SALS ABYAD (WHITE SAUCE) - SPICED WALNUT-SESAME BUTTER Serves 100 - 150 NOTE: If you make this ahead of time, keep in the refrigerator. It won't need to be kept refrigerated while travelling. Add water and more lemon juice on-site before serving. The name of this dish is from some European word for sauce. The recipe is purely Near Eastern, however. Mustard was used to spike up some dishes. In Southwest Asia cooks used powdered mustard seed, while in al-Andalus and al-Maghrib they used prepared mustard. Original Recipe: Walnuts, garlic, pepper, Chinese cinnamon, white mustard, tahineh and lemon juice. The Book of the Description of Familiar Foods = al-Kitab Wasf al-At'ima al-Mu'tada, 1373[complete text translated and introduced by Charles Perry, Medieval Arab Cookery], p. 389 My Recipe: 4 pounds walnuts 4 quarts sesame tahini several ounces prepared garlic paste with NO additives or preservatives 2 Tablespoons pepper 1/4 cup powdered cinnamon 2 ounces yellow mustard powder juice from 10 lemons 1. Grind walnuts finely in blender or food processor. 2. In large bowl, stir together ground walnuts with 2 quarts of tahini 3. Mix garlic, pepper, cinnamon and mustard into one quart of tahini 4. Mix seasoned tahini into walnut-sesame paste. 5. Let stand overnight for flavors to develop. 6. Shortly before serving stir in fresh lemon juice 7. Serve with Near Eastern flat breads - I served Lavosh and a Persian flat bread whose name I have forgotten. NOTE: Use a Middle Eastern brand of sesame paste/tahini (Sahadi is one such brand). Health food brands of sesame paste doesn't work as well - they're rather thick and they're less oily. NOTE: I suspect this is supposed to be more liquid than the very dense nut butter I got. When I make it again, I'll add enough water and lemon juice to give this the consistency of modern hummos-bi-tahihi. So shortly before serving, add water to the above recipe. It will probably suck it up. So to make a dipping consistancy, you'll need to add a fair bit. This will dilute the flavors, so you'll need more lemon juice, too. RealLemon isn't very good, but some of the brands in squeezable plastic bottles are decent. -------------------- BADHINJAN BURAN (PRINCESS BURAN'S EGGPLANT) - EGGPLANT PUREED WITH YOGURT AND SPICES Serves 100 to 150 This is a dish of legend. And I may have created one of my own, as people came up to me after the feast and confessed that they hated eggplant and had eaten three servings of it. As for the history of the dish, Charles Perry has an entire essay devoted to it in "Medieval Arab Cookery". I'm sure that my interpretation was also colored by all the multitude of other Buran and Buraniyya recipes I read. Original Recipe: Take eggplant and boil lightly in water and salt, then take out and dry for an hour. Fry this in fresh sesame oil until cooked: peel, put into a dish or large cup, and beat well with a ladle, until it becomes like khabis [pudding]. Add a little salt and dry coriander. Take some Persian milk, mix in garlic, pour over the eggplant, and mix together well. Take red meat, mince fine, make into small kabobs, add melting fresh tail, throw the meat into it stirring until browned. Then cover with water, and stew until the water has evaporated and only the oils remain. Pour on top of this eggplant, sprinkle with fine-ground cumin and cinnamon, and serve. al-Baghdadi = al-Kitab al-Tabikh (The Book of Dishes) by Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Karim al-Katib al-Baghdadi, a 13th century cookbook. On p. 59-60, Medieval Arab Cookery My Recipe: NOTE: This must be kept refrigerated or in a cooler until shortly before serving. Allow to come to room temperature 12 pounds eggplant - I used the large ones because they were cheaper, but I suspect that smaller Asian eggplants would be better 1 pint light sesame oil (or olive oil) 2 quarts whole milk yogurt with NO additives or thickeners - I used Pavel's Russian Yogurt - there's nothing in it but milk and yogurt culture - no gums, no gelatin, no thickeners, etc. 1/4 cup salt 1 Tablespoon pepper 2 to 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons ground coriander seed 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons ground cumin seed Fresh mint 1 fresh pomegranate 1 pint whole milk yogurt 1. If using large eggplants, remove stem end and quarter. Small eggplants, leave whole. 2. Boil briefly, until just barely tender. I did this in multiple stages as all the eggplant wouldn't fit in one pot. 3. Put eggplant in a sieve or colander over a bowl or in a clean sink and let drain. Again I did this in stages. I didn't drain the pieces for a whole hour. After batches had drained for 15 minutes or so, I removed them to a large bowl. 4. Put enough sesame oil in a large frying pan to cover the bottom, then heat on a medium-high fire. 5. When oil is hot, add some of drained eggplants - one layer of eggplant only. Cook until tender, then remove - I drained them in a colander as I removed them from the pan. 6. When all have been cooked and allowed to cool, puree them. I used a food processor but a blender would work. And a potato masher or ricer should work too. 7. When all the eggplants were pureed and in a big container, I added two quarts of Pavel's yogurt. I honestly believe the quality of the yogurt affected the taste of the finished dish. But use the best plain yogurt you can find. 8. After mixing yogurt and eggplant, add spices. Allow to sit overnight in a cool place for flavor to develop. 9. Peel pomegranate and remove white pith. Separate seeds into a bowl. 10. Dish eggplant into serving bowls, decorate the edge with fresh mint leaves or sprigs, place a dollop of yogurt in the center of each dish and top with pomegranate seeds. --------------------- ISFANAKH MUTAJJAN - FRIED SPINACH Original al-Baghdadi's Book of Dishes, p. 79, in Medieval Arab Cookery Take spinach, cut off the lower roots, and wash: then boil lightly in salt and water, and dry. Refine sesame-oil, drop in the spinach, and stir until fragrant. Chop up a little garlic, and add. Sprinkle with fine-ground cumin, coriander seed, and cinnamon: then remove. My version: Serves 8 as a primary vegetable side dish When I was in Morocco in Dec 2000-Jan 2001, I was served a dish very like this in a "palace" restaurant in Fez. It was a real surprise to find Baghdadi's 14th c. dish in 21st c. Morocco. 2 lb spinach 1/2 c sesame oil (cold pressed, NOT the roasted Asian kind) 6 cloves garlic, smashed 1 tsp. salt 1 t cumin 1 t coriander 1/2 t cinnamon Parboil spinach in salted water 2-4 min. (or less). Press out excess water and chop roughly. Stir fry as recipe directs, adding spices toward the end. NOTE: I make this at camping events. I buy frozen organic chopped spinach. I pour it into a large skillet and cook until thawed. Then I pour in the sesame oil and stir. I push the spinach over to one side, put inthe garlic, cook until soft, then add the other ingredients, and stir well. NOTE: It is likely that they didn't use spinach originally, but a leafy green called orach. You can also use chard, but you'll need to chop it first and par-boil it before putting it in the pan with the seasonings. NOTE: Cook ahead of time and keep chilled before serving. This can be served at room temperature or warmed. If you want to use this as a dip, you might try making it, cooling it a little, then putting it in the blender for a smoother consistency. --------------------- ZAITUN MUBAKHKHAR - SMOKED OLIVES Serves 100 to 150 people NOTE: If you make these ahead of time, keep in the refrigerator until you leave. They won't need to be kept chilled while you're travelling, if you serve them within a day or two This recipe was quick and easy to make. The original calls for smoking the olives. As I don't have the necessary equipment, I added a few drops of smoke flavor to the drained olives. Original Recipe: Take olives when fully ripe. If you want take them black, and if you want take them green, except that the green are better for smoking. Bruise them and put some salt on them, as much as needed, and turn them over every day until the bitterness goes away. When they throw off liquid, pour it off. When the bitterness is gone from them, spread them out on a woven tray until quite dry. Then pound peeled garlic and cleaned thyme, as much as necessary. Take the quantity of a dirham of them, and a piece of walnut with its meat in it, and a dirham of wax, and a piece of cotton immersed in sesame oil, and a piece of date seed. Put these ingredients on a low fire on a stove [kanun] and seal its door, and put the tray the olives are in on top of it, and cover it with a tray so that it is filled with the scent of this smoke, which does not escape. Then leave it that way for a whole day. Then you return them to a container large enough for them and mix the pounded garlic and thyme with them, and a little crushed walnut meat, and a handful of toasted sesame seeds. Take as much fresh sesame oil as needed and fry it with cumin seeds, and throw them on it and mix them with it. Then take a greased pottery jug [barniyya] and smoke it in that smoke. Put the olives in it and cover the top, and it is put up for [several] days. It is not used until the sharpness of the garlic in it is broken. The Book of the Description of Familiar Foods = al-Kitab Wasf al-At'ima al-Mu'tada, 1373 [complete text translated and introduced by Charles Perry, Medieval Arab Cookery], p. 403 My Recipe: 4-1/2 pounds cracked green olives in brine, drained I bought Greek olives in a resealable plastic barrel for under $10 at a Near Eastern food shop a few drops liquid smoke flavoring 1-1/2 heads garlic, peeled a couple tablespoons dried thyme or zataar herb 1 cup shelled walnuts 1 cup white sesame seeds 1-1/2 Tablespoons light sesame oil 2 to 3 Tablespoons whole cumin seeds 1. Drain olives well. 2. Add a few drops of smoke flavoring to the drained olives. Be sure to mix very very well. 3. Crush garlic cloves in a food processor or by hand with in a mortar with a pestle (the latter is what I did). 4. Add thyme to garlic and crush further. 5. Add garlic and thyme to olives. Blend well. 6. Crush walnuts medium-fine in a mortar with a pestle. Add to olives and mix well. 7. Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan with NO oil, over medium to medium-low heat, stirring very very frequently, until toasted fairly evenly to a rich golden color - do NOT allow to burn. 8. Add sesame seeds to to olives and mix well. 9. Put a few tablespoons of sesame oil in frying pan, add several tablespoons of whole cumin seeds, and cook on medium to medium-low heat until cumin darkens slightly and aroma comes out. Be careful not to burn. Stir into olives. 10. Taste. Add more smoke if necessary - use a sparing hand, as too much is awful. 11. Let olives season for several days well covered in a cool place, stirring once a day to distribute flavorings. I made them Tuesday night and served them Saturday night. NOTE: It is difficult to find plain zataar herb. Every shop I visited that had zataar had the kind that was a blend of zataar herb, salt, sesame seeds, and sumak. This blend is not suitable for this recipe. A friend of mine of Lebanese descent suggested I try the herb called "Greek oregano". This is NOT the standard oregano sold in supermarkets, which is "Mexican oregano" and which flavor I do not like. I did see "Greek oregano" in some of the Near Eastern markets and will try it when I make these olives again, which I most definitely will, as they were delicious. --------------------- Jazr - pp. 92-93 This was printed in "In a Caliph's Kitchen" by David Waines. The book is now out of print. I have not reproduced Waines' worked out recipes, since they generally are very far from the originals. The part below marked "Waines" is the modern author's comments on the recipe. Next is the original. I've never made this one, but you can see my comments at the bottom... WAINES: There are a few dishes in the medieval Arabic repertoire where a vegetable is highlighted by itself. In this case it is used to decorate the plate on which something else is served; it is, in fact, a perfect accompaniment with a dish of plain rice. Carrots, at least, can be treated on their own as the carrot family of plants (which includes caraway, cumin, coriander, and dill, all common to medieval Arab cooking) is characterized by strongly scented essential oils. This recipe is thirteenth century Moroccan. [Anahita sez: hmm-mmm, this might be in the 13th C. Andalusian Cookbook...] ORIGINAL: Cut the carrots into pieces without peeling them. Select the middle bits and cut each piece in half and cook in salted water. Dry the pieces off and fry in a pan with fresh oil. Then pour over it boiling vinegar with crushed garlic and caraway. One can then either leave the carrot pieces without frying (or else place them after frying) as decoration on a platter. [My Comments: This is *VERY* like a modern Moroccan recipe - the biggest differences are that the modern recipe uses cumin, not caraway, generally substitutes lemon juice for the vinegar, and often includes powdered red chili] Recipe Breakdown (i haven't made this) carrots, cleaned salted water to cover fresh oil for frying, either olive or sesame white wine vinegar crushed garlic caraway seeds, crushed - or cumin seeds (my preference) (salt to taste) 1. Cut the carrots across into pieces 2. Cut each piece in half lengthwise. 3. Cook carrots in salted water until just tender. 4. Drain and dry carrots. 5. Put vinegar, garlic, and seeds in a saucepan and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. 6. Fry carrots in a pan with fresh oil. 7. Then pour hot vinegar with crushed garlic and caraway over carrots. MY NOTE: This would look nice with flat-leaf parsley chopped and tossed with the carrots before serving. --------------------- Minted Cucumber Fresh Pickle Original al-Baghdadi, Modern version by Anahita bint 'abd al-Karim al-Fassi Serves 50-75 5 lb. medium cucumbers salt water white wine vinegar 1 very large bunch fresh mint 1. Wash and peel cucumbers. (peels are usually bitter) 2. Cut cucumbers in half and scoop out the seeds. 3. Cut cucumber halves into 1/4" thick "moons". 4. Put cucumbers in a food safe container. 5. Sprinkle cucumbers with salt and toss. 6. Tear up mint leaves. 7. Add mint leaves to cucumbers and stir. 8. Cover cucumbers with equal parts of water and vinegar, enough to cover cucumbers, and stir well. 9. Let stand at least several hours. 10. Once pickled, must be kept in refrigerator. Will only keep a couple days. I think it would be good drained and tossed with shredded fresh mint when it's time to serve. --------------------- Carrot, Orange & Radish Salad Modern Moroccan Recipe Serves 8 This isn't Medieval, but i'm very fond of it NOTE: If you have the facilities, take the ingredients and tools and prepare on site. It might travel ok if not made too far ahead of time - say, one day - and kept chilled. 1 lb Carrots, peeled & shredded 2 large Oranges, cut into bite-sized chunks - Blood Oranges are good 2-3 bunches red Radishes, sliced 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice 2 tablespoons Orange Juice 1 tablespoon Orange Flower Water 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon, or to taste 2 tablespoons granulated sugar a pinch of salt 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped Peel and grate carrots. Slice radishes. Peel oranges, remove all outside membrane carefully, so as not to break segments--if using blood oranges, remove seeds. When fruit is free of membrane, carefully lift out and place in serving dish. As orange juice comes out, save it in a bowl. Combine carrots, oranges, radishes & cilantro in a salad bowl. Mix juices with sugar, flower water, cinnamon and salt to taste. Pour over the salad. Cover and chill. (well, I don't bother with this at events) Serve sprinkled with cilantro. Alternately, you could use chopped flat leaf parsley. Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2004 11:59:51 -0700 From: lilinah at earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] looking for middle eastern To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Here is Part Two of Middle Eastern Buffet Recipes. --------------------- MEATS Stuffed Eggs - Andalusian "deviled" eggs Thumiyya - Chicken with garlic, lavender, and spices Barida - chicken cucumber salad merguez - lamb sausages with spices and lavender flowers Andalusian Spiced Meatballs - while recipe calls for lamb these can be beef, turkey, whatever Sinab - Mustard-almond-honey sauce for meatballs --------------------- The Making of Stuffed Eggs Take as many eggs as you like, and boil them whole in hot water; put them in cold water and split them in half with a thread. Take the yolks aside and pound cilantro and put in onion juice, pepper and coriander, and beat all this together with murri, oil and salt and knead the yolks with this until it forms a dough. Then stuff the whites with this and fasten it together, insert a small stick into each egg, and sprinkle them with pepper, God willing. as many eggs as you like pounded cilantro onion juice pepper ground coriander seed murri or Japanese soy sauce oil (olive? sesame?) salt toothpicks Boil eggs whole in hot water. Put them in cold water until cool. Shell, then split them in half with a thread. Remove the yolks, and set yolks and whites aside. Pound cilantro - i'd suggest pureeing in a blender or food processor with onion juice and murri Mix cilantro with pepper and coriander. Beat all this together with oil and just a little salt. Mash the yolks with the seasoned liquid until it forms a paste. Stuff the whites with this. Fasten egg halves together, insert a small stick into each egg, and sprinkle them with pepper. --------------------- THUMIYYA - CHICKEN WITH GARLIC, LAVENDER, AND SPICES ORIGINAL from An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook - 13th century translation by Charles Perry Take a plump hen and take out what is inside it, clean that and leave aside. Then take four uqiyas of peeled garlic and pound them unitl they are like brains, and mix with what comes out of the interior of the chicken. Fry it in enough oil to cover, until the smell of the garlic comes out. Mix this with the chicken in a clean pot with salt, pepper, cinnamon, lavender, ginger, cloves, saffron, peeled almonds, both pounded and whole, and a little murri naqi. Seal the pot with dough, place it in the oven and leave it until it is done. Then take it out and open the pot, pour its contents in a clean dish and an aromatic scent will come forth from it and perfume the area. This chicken was made for the Sayyid Abu al-Hasan and much appreciated. My Version: Serves 8 as a main course Several of the recipes above were for an "Iron Chef" feast. I served first, then there were two other courses. The High Table judged. It was deemed a tie between me and the final course, which was mostly from Le Menagier de Paris. This recipe was for the cook-off tie-breaker. I won. NOTES: 1. If you get boneless chicken and cut it into cubes or strips, and serve with toothpicks, it could become "finger food" 2. This must be kept refrigerated or well chilled while travelling. Can be served warm or at room temperature 4 lb. chicken breasts and thighs 4 ounces of garlic, peeled 3 Tb. olive oil 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 Tb. cinnamon 2 tsp. lavender 1 tsp. ginger 1/2 tsp. cloves hearty pinch saffron 1/2 c. ground blanched almonds 3/4 c. peeled whole almonds 1-1/2 Tb. murri naqi In honor of the noble gentles to whom i am serving this dish, and especially the Princess's delicate sensibilities, i used skinless, boneless chicken breasts and thighs and did not use any of the chicken's innards. 1. Puree peeled garlic. 2. Fry it in oil until the smell of the garlic comes out. 3. Put chicken in pot, spoon garlic and remaining ingredients and spoon over it. 4. Cover the pot well, place it on a medium-low fire, and cook until done, stirring occasionally, and adjusting the heat, as necessary. 5. When done, pour contents onto serving dish. --------------------- Barida - 82-83 WAINES: This cold dish made from chicken was devised by Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi. The recipe is expressed in poetic form, not surprising from a man who was not only a gourmand, but well known as a poet too. He describes the dish as perfect summertime fare. The physician al-Razi observes that such dishes of the bawarid type, when made with vinegar or with the juice of sour fruits, serve to cool the temperament and moderate it. Qutha and faqqus, mentioned in the original recipe, are species of cucumber. ORIGINAL: Two parts almonds and sugar and two parts vinegar and mustard mixed together in a vessel with partially dried safflower adding colour around the [one short word not legible in my photocopy, may be "edges"]. Cucumber peeled, qutha and faqqas, and pomegranate, chopped up small and sprinkled around the vessel. Add a little oil. Take a fine young chicken, cooked in vinegar, jointed and cut up in pieces and placed over the other ingredients in one vessel. Decorate the dish with pomegranate (seeds) and with almonds and olives chopped up fine. I haven't made this yet, but just noticed the recipe, and i think it looks great almonds sugar white wine vinegar mustard - i'm not sure if they mean powder or prepared partially dried safflower cucumbers, peeled and chopped up small pomegranate seeds from a fresh pomegranate a little oil, sesame or olive a fine young chicken, cooked in vinegar pomegranate (seeds) almonds chopped up fine olives chopped up fine Mixed together equal parts of almonds, sugar, vinegar, and mustard in a vessel with safflower for color. Sprinkle cucumbers and pomegranate around the vessel. Add a little oil. Take a fine young chicken, cooked in vinegar, joint it and cut up in pieces. Placed chicken over the other ingredients in one vessel. Decorate the dish with pomegranate (seeds), almonds, and olives. NOTES: MUSTARD: I'd start experimenting by using prepared mustard, preferably a Dijon mustard. SAFFLOWER: Safflower is sometimes sold as "Mexican saffron". When it is whole it doesn't look like saffron because it is flower petals. But powdered it is sometimes falsely sold as saffron. It should be cheap, whereas saffron is expensive. Here it is just used for color, since safflower adds very little flavor, unlike saffron which has a very rich flavor. MORE MODERN: One could take the chicken meat off the bones and either lay it on the other ingredients as directed, or toss the cut up meat and the other ingredients to make a more modern chicken salad. --------------------- Recipe for Mirkas (Merguez Sausage) from the 13th century Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook It is as nutritious as meatballs (banadiq) and quick to digest, since the pounding ripens its and makes it quick to digest, and it is good nutrition. First get some meat from the leg or shoulder of a lamb and pound it until it becomes like meatballs. Knead it in a bowl, mixing in some oil and some murri naqi', pepper, coriander seed, lavender, and cinnamon. Then add three quarters as much of fat, which should not be pounded, as it would melt while frying, but chopped up with a knife or beaten on a cutting board. Using the instrument made for stuffing, stuff it in the washed gut, tied with thread to make sausages, small or large. Then fry them with some fresh oil, and when it is done and browned, make a sauce of vinegar and oil and use it while hot. Some people make the sauce with the juice of cilantro and mint and some pounded onion. Some cook it in a pot with oil and vinegar, some make it rahibi with onion and lots of oil until it is fried and browned. It is good whichever of these methods you use. I made this, but didn't write down quantities, so what i have below is a rough guess. Adjust spices to your taste. Don't use too much lavender or it can taste unpleasant. 15 lb. meat from the leg or shoulder of a lamb 3 Tb. sesame oil 3 Tb. murri naqi' or Japanese soy sauce 1-1/2 Tb. ground pepper 3 Tb. ground coriander seed 1-1/2 Tb. ground cinnamon 1-1/2 Tb. lavender three quarters as much of fat (i left this out) washed casings fresh oil for frying SAUCE vinegar and oil OPT: juice of cilantro and mint and some pounded onion OPT. Topping: onion browned in oil 1. Pound lamb until it becomes like meatballs - i recommend putting ground lamb in a food processor and processing until fairly smooth, almost a paste. 2. Knead meat in a bowl, with some oil, murri naqi', pepper, coriander seed, lavender, and cinnamon. 3. Add fat, which should not be pounded, as it would melt while frying, but chopped up with a knife or beaten on a cutting board. 4. Using the instrument made for stuffing, stuff it in the washed gut, tied with thread to make sausages, small or large. 5. Then fry them with some fresh oil, until it is done and browned 6. Make a sauce of vinegar and oil and use it while hot. Some people make the sauce with the juice of cilantro and mint and some pounded onion. Some cook it in a pot with oil and vinegar, some make it rahibi with onion and lots of oil until it is fried and browned. It is good whichever of these methods you use. 1. I can get lamb for $1.99US/lb. at my local hallal market, but if you can't get cheap lamb, use other ground meat 2. You can substitute soy sauce for murri, according to Charles Perry, who actually made some from scratch. 3. Buy lavender at a health food store and get assurance they are untreated. Lavender intended for potpourri often has chemicals added that are not safe to eat. 4. I didn't add any extra fat. 5. I couldn't find non-pork casings in a quantity i could afford, so i didn't make sausages. I just rolled the meat into small sausage shapes. 6. I didn't fry them, since they weren't really sausages - i put them in a single layer in a baking pan and baked them at 350 for about 15 minutes - test to see if the inside is the color you want. Bake more if necessary. 7. These can be frozen. Thaw the day before and bake the day of the feast. NEW NOTE: Just a couple days ago, the butcher in my Whole Foods Market said he could sell me small quantities of lamb casings, so now I have some for next time... --------------------- ANDALUSIAN MEATBALLS Makes 600 meatballs for 100 to 150 people NOTE: These should be cooked ahead of time - then freeze and thaw or reheat on site - they can be served at room temperature. Depending on how long your trip is, they can also keep unfrozen in a cooler. Also, if you freeze them, you can take them to the event and allow them to thaw along the way. This recipe is based on an analysis of several meatball recipes in the 13th c. Anonymous Andalusian cookbook. In some the meatballs were boiled, some fried, some simmered in a sauce. Because these meatballs were served with Sinab, a mustard sauce, they were cooked simply, rather than boiled in sauce. 30 lb. ground meat - we used beef 10 lb. onions 3 bunches fresh cilantro 3 Tb. salt 6 Tb. ground coriander seed 4 Tb. + 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin seed 3 Tb. powdered cinnamon 3 Tb. ground white pepper 12 eggs To keep meatballs consistent, I suggest doing this in batches by dividing ingredients by 3 or 4. 1. Peel onions, cut off tops and tails, then quarter. 2. Puree onion in blender or food processor with cilantro, salt and spices. 3. Beat eggs. 4. Mix eggs with onion-spice puree. 5. Mix egg-onion-spice puree with ground meat. Be sure all ingredients are blended well together. At this point, I suggest that you cook a couple small meatballs first and taste them to see how seasoning is. If it needs adjustment, write down what you add and process remaining batches with the same amount of spices. If the sample batch tastes find 6. Form into meatballs about the size of a walnut. 7. Cook meatballs. Some recipes call for frying, others for boiling. You could also try baking. Do whatever is most comfortable or convenient for you. If you want, you could even try all methods simultaneously... 8. When meatballs are cooked, cool them until they are cool enough to handle. 9. When they are cool enough, freeze them in zip-close plastic bags. To Serve: Meatballs can be served at room temperature. Thaw in refrigerator. Heat water and pour into a large container - immerse bags of meatballs in hot (not boiling) water until they are warm enough. Variations: If you like, you can add any or all of the following: 1. Murri Murri is a Medieval Middle Eastern liquid seasoning, originally made with fermented barley and seasonings. There is a simpler, quicker recipe which can be found at: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/Medieval.html For 30 lb. of ground meat, I suggest using 1-1/2 cups of murri. Note that Charles Perry who translated the 13th c. Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook made murri from scratch from barley and said it tasted a lot like soy sauce, so one can substitute that. 2. Crushed Garlic For 30 lb. of ground meat, I suggest purchasing either a jar of already crushed garlic or a bag of already peeled garlic cloves and puree the necessary amount in a blender or food processor. It takes a long time to separate and peel the cloves from multiple heads of garlic. Once you have your garlic, use the equivalent of 150 cloves (that's one per diner). 3. Saffron Crumble and blend with the onion-and-cilantro (it needs moisture to release its color and flavor). For 30 lb. of ground meat, I suggest a minimum of 1 Tb. 4. White Wheat Flour You can add this to extend meat and make the balls hold together, if you like. Ours stayed together fine with no flour. --------------------- SINAB - MUSTARD SAUCE Serves 100 to 150, with above meatballs NOTE: This is best made ahead of time. It doesn't need to be refrigerated if you use it within a day or two of making. Otherwise refrigerate - should keep for a week. From the 13th c. Anonymous Andalusian cookbook. Clean good mustard and wash it with water several times, then dry it and pound it until it is as fine as kohl. Sift it with a sieve of hair, and then pound shelled almonds and put them with the mustard and stir them together. Then press out their oil and knead them with bread crumbs little by little, not putting in the bread crumbs all at once but only little by little. Then pour strong vinegar, white of color, over this dough for the dish, having dissolved sufficient salt in the vinegar. Then dissolve it well to the desired point, and strain it thoroughly with a clean cloth; and there are those who after it is strained add a little honey to lessen its heat. Either way it is good. Easy Version 2 quarts of prepared Dijon mustard 3 lb. almonds, very finely ground - about 3-1/2 cups several slices of white bread, barely toasted and ground to make 3-1/2 cups 1-1/2 quarts honey 1. Pour mustard into a large bowl and stir in almonds. 2. Then stir in bread crumbs, and mix well. Make sure there are no pockets of dry almonds or crumbs. 3. Then add honey and mix well. This can be made to suit your taste. Add more honey, if you like it sweeter. Add more almonds and/or bread if it's too sharp or too sweet. Notes: To save time, I used purchased mustard. The Dijon was quite sharp, so I added a lot of honey. You may prefer more or less. The diners seemed to like it quite a bit. Mixing your own is better than buying commercial honey-mustard as you can control the sweetness vs. the spiciness. I do not care for commercial honey-mustards - they're too sweet for me. If you make this ahead of time and keep refrigerated before the vigil, the flavor will mellow, so add less honey than you think it needs. If you deem it too strong on the day of the vigil, add more honey. Serve at room temperature, NOT cold - the human mouth tastes things better if they're closer to body temperature. Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2004 12:00:11 -0700 From: lilinah at earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] looking for middle eastern To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Here is Part Three of Middle Eastern Buffet Recipes. --------------------- 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 --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- BEVERAGES --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. --------------------- 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. Edited by Mark S. Harris ME-revel-fds-art 26 of 26