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There are lots of themes in cuisine that run through much of Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle and Near East. The conquering of lands and the migrations of people shared new recipes across cultures.
Michael tells me these are very similar to Greek Koulourakia, a biscuit associated with Greek Easter but popular year round that uses orange instead of the lemon in this Algerian version. Straightforward to make, they disappear fast when the boys have friends over.
Ingredients:
320g plain flour
210g sugar
105ml olive oil
3 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
For the egg wash:
1 egg
½ tsp orange blossom water
Sugar to sprinkle
Method:
Preheat oven to 160c (fan). Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
In a large bowl beat the eggs and sugar together until light and pale in colour. Mix the olive oil, vanilla and lemon zest and slowly beat this into the egg mixture.
In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt, then add this into the egg mixture beating until all is only just combined, (don’t overbeat).
Scoop out 20g portions and roll into balls placing on the prepared tray about 5cms distance apart from each other and repeat until all the mixture is finished. Using the circular handle of a wooden spoon wet the end and then press the end through the centre of the dough ball turning it to expand the size to appx 1½cms. Wet the handle after every 2 holes.
In a small bowl beat the egg with the orange blossom water and brush this over each cookie, then sprinkle a little sugar over each.
Place in the oven for appx 15 mins.
The cookies will be slightly golden and hard to the touch. Once ready remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Enjoy
Gaby Van Clarke
None of us know what’s going to take us out. Life’s full of surprises. But we do know that the body starts to degenerate from about age 30 (more cells destroyed than created, barring excess weight gain) and also, crucially, that we can affect the speed of that ageing process.
Introduced by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century, and adapted over time to suit Japanese tastes, this light bouncy sponge is considered a traditional Japanese speciality. More delicate and airy than a regular sponge cake, castella ( カステラ, kasutera) is famous for a fine and moist crumb.
