Fenugreek Olive Oil Cake – Helbeh

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Baking, fenugreek, healthy sweets, helbeh, levants recipes, middle easern, Nigella seeds, sesame seeds, spice cake, sugar syrub cake, sweets, syrup cakes, الحلبه

“Even if honey be your cup,
Restrain your taste; don’t lick it all up.”
“ان كان حبيبك عسل, ما تلحسوش كله”
(An old and traditional Arabic saying)

It’s been a long time since the last post I had, but I must admit that I can’t go away for ever, my love for cooking and sharing the love exceeds any limits. Today I’m back with one of my family’s favorite winter sweets, Helbeh. The recipe had been on my Facebook page and I’m supposed to post it for a long time ago, but since it’s winter sweets, It will be perfect in these chilly days.

It’s a traditional Palestinian sweets, similar to many other Levant’ sweet cakes, a sweet spicy cake soaked in sugar syrup. Helba or Helbeh named in arabic for the seeds, Fenugreek, which is the star that gives the distinctive nutty taste and enticing smell that makes your kitchen smells welcoming warm and aromatic. This sweet cake is very healthy since using olive oil to make the dough which is very good for health and cholesterol. Besides Fenugreek, this cake contain Nigella seeds, sesame seeds, it also have fennel seeds, and anise seeds (both grounded).

Fenugreek, an aromatic bittersweet spice, has strong flavor. It’s a small seed, that is actually a legume that grows in India and in some places of the mediterranean. Mostly dry roasted and used in curry, and pickles. This little seed has proteins, fibre and Vitamin C, niacin, potassium, iron and alkaloids. It’s very nutritious and healthy; it increases milk production among nursing mothers, helps reduce symptoms of PMS, reduce cholesterol, increases the libido, reduces heartburn, you can lose weight by reducing the appetite, and cure skin inflammations.

Nigella seed looks like black sesame seed and has a faint cumin flavor. Nigella seeds are very healthy especially known for skin and hair. It also have a bitter taste, so less than 1 tablespoon is perfect for this dough recipe.

I took the recipe from my mother in law, she’s very talented and her sweets always yummy. Her way is to toast the dried seeds a little, but not to burn it, this will give the cake very tasty aroma then grind it, in this recipe I used all-purpose flour. Some recipes use semolina flour instead of all-purpose flour, others use both together. When using semolina flour alone, you can soak the Fenugreek in water then boil it and use it as whole in the dough without grinding it, some of the soaking water is used to make the dough too.

Always make the cake at least a day before you want to serve it, as the flavors need time to come together.

Fenugreek Olive Oil Cake – Helbeh

1 cup semolina or farina flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon yeast
2 tablespoon anise seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon black seeds
3 tablespoon fenugreek seeds
2 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
3 tablespoon sugar
dash of salt
3\4 cup olive oil
about 1 1\2 cup milk
1 tablespoon oil or tahini for the tray.

In a pan, toast the fenugreek seeds a little for 2-3 minutes on low heat, shake and stir frequently and try not to burn them. In a coffee blender, grind 1 tablespoon of anise seeds with the caraway and fennel seeds and the toasted fenugreek.
Add the ground spices and the yeast, sugar, and salt to flour and farina, mix together. Add the olive oil and mix it with dry ingredients. With your finger tips, rub the flour with the oil until it soaked.

Warm the milk, add it to the dough and knead together, until you have a soft and smooth dough, let rest for 15 minutes.
Grease 12×17 inch sheet tray with oil or tahini, spread the dough evenly and smooth its surface. let rest in a warm place covered for 1 hour.

Heat the oven at 400 f, bake for 15-20 minutes, bring it to the upper rack and let golden brown a little.
Once you get it out from the oven, soak it with the cold sugar syrup, let stand until cool.

Enjoy it, and remember to left some for the next day, since it will become more delicious.

For the sugar syrup:
2 cups sugar
1 1\2 cups water
1\2 teaspoon lemon juice

In sauce pan, add sugar to water, bring to boil, let boil on low heat for 15 min, add the lemon juice at the end.
Let to cool.

 

المقادير

2 كوب طحين
1كوب سميد
3 ملعقه كبيره حب حلبه
2 ملعقه كبيره ينسون حب
2 ملعقه كبيره سمسم
1ملعقه كبيره قزحه
1 ملعقه كبيره كراويه حب
1 ملعقه كبيره شومر حب
1ملعقه صغيره خميره
حليب سائل حوالي  1 1\2 كوب
3/4 كوب زيت زيتون
رشة ملح
3 ملعقه كبيره سكر

الطريقه

تحمص الحلبه بمقلاه على نار خفيفه قليلا مع الانتباه والتحريك لحتى لا تخترق ولمده دقائق فقط ثم تطحن بمكينة الفهوه مع الكراويه اوالشومر وملعقه من اليانسون الحب.
نضع جميع المقادير الناشفه ونخلط. ثم نضيف الزيت ونخلط وباطراف الاصابع نفرك المواد مع بعضها لحتى تتشرب الزيت.ثم نعجنها قليلا بالحليب مع اضافة الحليب بين الحين والاخر بكميات قليله حتى تتكون عجينه طريه.
نتركها ربع ساعه ترتاح ثم نفردها في الصينيه بعد دهنها بالطحينيه او الزيت, نقطعها حسب الرغبه الى مربعات. ونتركها ساعه تخمر.
نخبزها على 400 د حتى يحمر وجهها. نكون محضرين القطر ويكون بارد ونسقيها.
للقطر:
هذه الكميه يلزمها 2 كوب سكر مع 1 1\2 كوب ماء.
نضعها على النار حتى تغلي نخفف الحراره ونتركها ل 10 دقائق اخرى.
نضع بضع قطرات من عصير الليمون في اخر دقيقه.
نتركها تبرد تماما

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Semolina Maamoul Cookies

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arabic cookies, butter cookies, cookies, eid cookies, maamoul, maamoul date filling, middle eastern, semolina cookies, semolina maamoul, معمول العيد, المعمول بالسميد, حشوات المعمول, طريقة عمل المعمول بالبيت

Maamoul is a  date or nut filled soft buttery cookies enjoyed by all Middle Eastern during religious celebrations, either at Eid El Fitr or Eid Al-Adha and Easter.

Eid El Fitr, is a major muslim feast that marks the end of fasting the whole month of Ramadan. Days before, women start the preparations for Eid that includes a thorough house cleaning, making cookies, and other savory treats. Preparing for Eid also meant that new outfits and shoes had to be purchased for the small children of the family. On the last week of Ramadan, families are busy shopping for the coming Eid celebration. The streets are crowded with shoppers and stores are filled with merchandise.

It is a tradition in Middle East that women gather during the last week of Ramadan to make Maamoul cookies for Eid. Each family has their own Maamoul recipe that pass by from mothers to daughters. For me, It was always a special time when my mom let us set to help her with making and shaping Maamoul. I was always picking the shaping part, guess it was the easiest one. Now, I still making the Maamoul for my family and my kids enjoying the shaping part.

I like to shape my cookies by hand, like the old traditional way. Perhaps, there are many different molds for this sold at Middle Eastern stores, the wooden or plastic one, but by using a special Maamoul clip, a small brass clip with pinked edges, called Malqat, it’s much more fun to see your own decorative patterns on the surface of each cookie.

To make Maamoul you have to manage your time and starts a day before to prepare the dough. The dough must be set a whole day to let the semolina flour time to absorb the butter, which in turn results in a very elastic and soft dough.

You can also make the filling a day a head. Some of the traditional filling is date paste, nuts like pistachio nut filling and pecan filling.

Semolina Maamoul Cookies

• 1 kilo course semolina flour (it’s sometimes called Farina)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon mastic gum
• 1/3 teaspoon mahleb
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cups melted butter
• 1/4 cup rose water
• 1/4 cup orange blossom water
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• About 1 cup warm milk

To Prepare The dough:
In a bowl, combine the semolina, all purpose flour. In the coffee grinder, grind the mastic with sugar until powder, then grind the mahleb, add to the semolina and flour.
Mix all together, add the nutmeg and melted butter. Working with your hands, mix the dough until the the semolina flour absorbs all the butter. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest overnight, at least 24 hours.

The day of baking the cookies:
Add the rose and orange water to the dough. Disolve the yeast with 1 cup of the warm milk, sprinkle over the dough. Work the dough with your fingers until it is smooth.
Add more liquid if need it.
Divide the dough into walnut size balls, place it in the palm of your hand and flatten it with the other palm. Make the filling balls half the size of the dough balls. Place the filling ball in the centre and gather the dough around it. Using the traditional clip, pinch the edges. Make decorative patterns all over the surface by lightly pinching the dough with the clip. Avoid puncturing the dough, or the filling will ooze out during baking. Using the Maamoul mold is more easy and quick.
Preheat the oven to 400 f. Place the pastries on baking sheet and bake until are pale blonde, 10 – 15 minutes. Transfer the pastries to racks to cool.

Serving:
Before serving, dust the cookies liberally with powdered sugar by tapping it through a fine mesh sieve.

Storing:
The cookies once cooled can be stored in rigid airtight containers in the freezer for 3 month, thaw and serve at room temperature. The cookies also can keep at room temp for more than 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Date Filling:

• 2 pound Medjoul date, pitted
• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

To Make the Date Filling:
Combine the dates, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg, you can use the food processor and pulse until it forms a smooth, thick paste.

If you are making nut filling:

Pistachio filling:

• 3/4 cup shelled unsalted and roasted pistachio
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon soft butter
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Pick over the nuts and remove the shell. Place in a food processor and pulse until they form course crumbs. Add the sugar, melted butter, and orange blossom water, and pulse to form a thick paste.

معمول السميد

١ كيلو سميد خشن
٢ كوب زبده
١/٢ ك طحين
١/٣ م ص مستكه
١/٣ م ص محلب
١/٢ م ص جوز الطيب
١/٤ ك سكر
١/٤ ك ماء زهر
١/٤ ك ماء ورد
١ م ص خميره
١ ك حليب سائل دافي

لكل كيلو سميد له ٢ ك من الزبده او السمنه
وهنا لك حرية الاختيار بين السميد اما يكون سميد خشن لوحده
اوممكن اضافة سميد ناعم بمقدار ٢خشن و١ ناعم
بالنسبه للسمنه ايضا لك الاختيار
احيانا اعمله بسمنه لوحدها وهون استخدم الكريسكو او الغزال او بالزبده لوحدها
نطحن المستكه في مطحنة القهوه مع السكر ونضيفه للسميد
وايضا المحلب نطحنه ونضيفه وايضا الجوز الطيب
كل هذه المقادير يتم عملها وخلطها قبل بيوم على الاقل من عملك للمعمول لانها سوف تنتقع حتى تطرى حبة السميد وتتشرب الدهن

انا من ناحيتي بتركه حسب الفضاوه ممكن يوم او ٢

طريقة الخلط بعد وضع المكونات الاولى للنقع يبس السميد باطرف الاصابع ولا يعجن كطريقة العجين للفطائر حتى لا تتكسر حبات السميد
ملاحظه اذا لاحظت ان السميد تجمد اثناء النقع فلا تقلقي فقط حركيه بملعقه كبيره بخفه بين الحين والاخر

في اليوم التالي
نضيف ١/٤ ك ماء زهر
١/٤ك ماء الورد
ونبسه مره اخرى ونتركه عدة ساعات

نضيف ملعقه صغيره تذوب مع الحليب الدافئ المستخدم للبس النهائي
ويرش على السميد رشات رشات مع استمرار العجن
انا ياخد معي من ١/٢ ك الى ٣/٤ ك ولا تنسي اننا اضفنا ١/٢ ك من الماء زهر والورد
هنا نكون انتهينا من تحضير عجينة السميد

الحشوا ت
التمر :
كيلو تمر منزوع النواه
١/٢ م ص جوز الطيب
١ م ص قرفه
١/٤ كوب زبده لينه
نعجن التمر او نضعه بالخلاط مع باقي المقادير

حشوة الفستق الحلبي:
٣/٤ كوب فستق محمص نيئ
٢ م ك سكر
٢ م ك زبده
١ م ك ماء زهر

فستق حلبي نطحنه جيدا ثم نضيف عليه باقي المقادير ونطحنه مره اخرى حتى نحصل على قوام سميك

حشوة الجوز: جوز نطحنه ناعم قليلا ونضيف قرفه وقطر ويحرك

طريقة الحشي

ناخذ قطعه من السميد مناسبه لحجم القالب المستعمل للطبع ونبسها براحة اليد ونفرده وقطعة من التمر اصغر من عجينة السميد ونكورها ونضعها داخل عجينة السميد ونطبقها ونلفها على شكل كره نضعها بالقالب ونطبعها

Qatayef with Ricotta Cream Filling and Poached Apricot.

Tags

apricot, arab pancake, homemade qatayef, middle eastern recipes, poached apricot, qatayef, qatayef filling, qatayef recipe, ramadan sweets, ricotta cream ricotta filling, ricotta recipes, sweet filling, sweet ricotta, sweets, قطايف منزليه, كريمة جبنة الريكوتا, حشوات للقطايف, ريكوتا, طريقة عمل عجينة القطايف

Qatayef is a very popular Ramadan related Middle Eastern sweet.

No Ramadam days pass by without making Qatayef, every household must make Qatayef sweets during ramadan.
As we are in the last day of Ramadan, I will end up Ramadan this year with Qatayef recipe. Tomorrow will begin posting some Eid cookies and sweets recipes.
As many blogs shared their recipe of Qatayef, I have my version too.
Qatayef is Arabs’ Ramadan stuffed pancakes. First, the batter stirred together, it’s very close to pancake recipe, then put into a hand – held funnels and pour the batter in spurts onto a hot griddle.

In Middle East, Qatayef selling stands are spreading on the sides of streets and bakery shops once Ramadan begin. Most houses don’t make Qatayef at home, they buy it ready made patties, but they enjoy making the different fillings for it, from nuts to cheese to cream or Qashta (clotted cream).
Qatayef once filled, can be baked or fried unless you are making Asafiri. Qatayef Asafiri known for it’s smaller size than the regular Qatayef patties, which then filled with Qashta (clotted cream) and eaten with some drizzle of honey on top or some sugar syrup.

Today I’ll share a Ricotta Whey Qatayef with Ricotta Cream filling and Poached apricot. It’s not like the traditional recipe for Qatayef Asafiri, as I used the Ricotta whey to make the dough, then added the Ricotta cheese with table cream to make the cream filling instead of the traditional Qashta filling. For a bonus, I topped the Qatayef with poached apricot.

Qatayef Patties

Ingredients:

• 2 cup white Flour
• 1/2 cup semolina flour
• 1 teaspoon Instant Yeast
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups Water

Directions:
1- Mix all dry ingredients together.
2- Slowly add the warm water or whey (if using) and continue mixing. Keep adding water to the mix until it reaches a liquid form that is suitable for pouring.
3- Cover and place the mix in a warm place to allow it to ferment. It took about 20 minutes, but depending on the temperature of your kitchen it might take a bit longer.
4- In a hot skillet, pour about 1/4 cup of the batter and cook on one side only until the top forms bubbles that burst and gets dry.
5- Place the cooked cakes on a clean, dry towel and let cool for 10 minutes before you start filling them.

Ricotta Cream Filling

• Use half of the ricotta from this recipe
• 3 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon orange water blossom
• 1 can Nestle table cream or Qashta

1- In a bowl, add the honey and the orange water to the ricotta cheese.
2- With a blinder, smooth the cheese until it’s soft and creamy.
3- Add the whole can of the table cream, mix together very well.

Poashed Apricot

Ingredient:

• 2 cups castor sugar
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 1/2 Lb firm apricots

1- First make the syrup. In a pan, bring water and sugar to boil. Add the cinnamon, lemon juice and orange blossom water. Let simmer all together at low heat.
2- Cut the apricots in half and remove their kernels. Place all in the syrup pan and slowly bring to the boil for 1-2 minutes.
3- Remove from the heat and allow the apricots to cool in their syrup.

To assemble the stuffed Qatayef:

1- take the Qatayef patty, with your finger tips close half of the patty, making space on the other side to put the filling.
2- spoon the ricotta cream filling into each Qatayef patty.
3- top with apricot halves, then sprinkle some apricot syrup on top, and then crushed pistachio for decoration.

طريقة عمل عجينة القطايف

 او عرق الجبنه من وصفة الريكوتا الموجوده هنا 1 1/2 كأس ماء
ربع كأس سكر
1/2 كأس سميد
2كأس دقيق
1 ملعقة صغيرة بيكنج باودر
1 ملعقه صغيره

طريقة عمل القطايف العصافيري:

– توضع جميع مقادير العجينة في الخلاط وتخلط جيدا ثم تترك لمدة نصف ساعة.
– يسخن صاج على نار متوسطة ثم تصب العجينة على شكل دوائر صغيرة وتترك
حتى تتحمر ( على وجه واحد من الأسفل ) .
– تحشى القطايف بالقشطة وتغلق بالضغط عليها مع أبقائها مفتوحة من أعلى.
– ترش بالفستق ويصب عليها العسل أو الشيرة وتقدم مع القهوة

لعمل حشوة كريمة الريكوتا
1/2 مقدار جبنة الريكوتا من هذه الوصفه هنا
3 ملاعق كبيره عسل
1 ملعقه كبيره ماء الزهر
علبة واحده من نستله كريم او قشطه
باستعمال الخلاط نطحن الجبنه بعد اضافة العسل والماء الزهر عليها حتى تصبح طريه وكريميه ثم نضيف القشطه ونخلطها جيدا

لعمل كمبوت المشمش
2 كوب سكر
1 كوب ماء
عود قرفه
1 ملعقه كبيره ماء زهر
ملعقه صغيره عصير ليمون
1/2 باوند مشمش
اولا نعمل قطر باضافة السكر والماء ونتركه يغلي زنضيف له القرفه وماء الزهر والليمون
نتركه يغلي على نار هادئه
نقطع المشمش انصاف وضيفها الى القطر نتركه يغلى بهدوء على نار خفيفه لدقيقتين تم نتركه بالقطر حتى يبرد تماما

لعمل القطايف العصافيري المحشيه بكريمة الريكوتا والمشمش المحلى

نقفل نصف القطايف نحشيه بملعقه صغيره من الكريمه ونصف حبه من المشمش على وجهه نزينه بالفستق وبعض القطر من المشمش المحلى

Beat the Heat with Two Refreshing Drinks

Tags

cold drinks, frozen berry, healthy drinks, hibiscus drink, Infused lemonade, lemonade, middle eastern, Ramadan drinks, traditional drinks, كركديه, ليموناده, مشروبات رمضانيه, عصائر

Beat the heat with these two refreshing drinks, Berry Lemonade and Hibiscus Drink.

As heat begins to rise up in summer, the best way to cool off is with refreshing cold drink. Two delicious homemade drinks that I often makes and my family love it.

While Ramadan this year falls in the summer season, drinks takes a much concern of the Iftar table to refresh after fasting and to quench our thirst.

Why Ramadan is so special to me?
There are many drinks that makes Ramadan so special since certain foods remind us of old traditions that we pass onto our children in order to keep our heritage alive. When we used to buy traditional Ramadan ready-made drinks from street peddlers and local markets. Among some of the traditional widely served drinks during Ramadan there is the Qamardean juice, Licorice juice, Tamarinds, and Karkade drink.

Hibiscus Drink (Karkade)

It’s known as a herbal tea, consumed cold or hot. Usually made from steeping hibiscus flowers (Roselle) In boiling water. The strained steeped juice known as karkadé in Levant, and flor de Jamaica in Latin America and US. Dried hibiscus flowers often labeled Flor de Jamaica, have long been available in health food stores in the United States for making this tea, especially in California and other areas influenced by Mexican customs.

Why drink it?
Hibiscus helps lower body temperature, as well as blood pressure. As it contain vitamin C, it’s also known to strengthen your immune system.

Ingredient:

• 1/2 cup hibiscus dried flowers
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1\2 teaspoon orange blossom water

1. Rinse dried flowers in cold water.
2. Heat the water in a saucepan. Once it begins to boil, add the dried hibiscus flowers and the orange blossom water (or any flavouring you prefer).
3. Immediately remove from heat, once boiled, and let the flowers simmer for 10 mins. Pour the water from the pot into a pitcher using a strainer (lined with cheese cloth) to separate the flowers from the water. (Be sure not to pour any of the flower sediment into the pitcher).
4. Refrigerate until chilled

Berry Infused Lemonade

Simple and classy way to introduce the freshly homemade lemonade. The berry adds a lot of flavors to the drink, you can add your favorites. Here I used the frozen triple berry, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry. It also adds a nice red color that you’ll like, the density of the color depends on the amount of frozen berries you add. You don’t have to crush the berries to release the color or flavour, you just let it steep while chilled in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup of frozen berries
1. Combine the sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature then refrigerate until chilled.
2. In a pitcher, combine the chilled syrup, the lemon juice and remaining 7 cups of water.
3. Add the berries, combine well with the juice, chill until served.

شراب الكركديه

١/٢ ك زهور الكركديه الناشفه
٣ ١/٢ ك ماء
٣/٤ ك سكر
١/٢ م ص ماء الزهر

نغسل الكركديه بماء بارد. نغلي الماء ونضيف الكركديه نتركه بالماء الساخن ينتقع لمدة ١٠ د نصفيه بقطعة قماش ونضيف السكر وندوبه نضعه بالبراد لحين التقديم مع كمية من التلج

الليموناضه المطعمه بالتوت المشكل

١ ١/٢ ك سكر
٨ ك ماء
١/٢ ك عصير ليمون فرش
١ ك فراوله و توت مشكله
نعمل قطر بكوب ماء وكمية السكر ونحركه حتى يذوب السكر نتركه يبرد. نضيف باقي كمية الماء والليمون ونحركه. نضيف قطع التلج والتوت المشكل من دون هرسه . نحفظه بالبرد لعدة ساعات قبل التقديم نحركه ونضيف المزيد من التلج