The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Part 31

Various recipes exist for almond paste. Some date back to medieval times. All are still very popular today. Many are traditionally cut into lozenge shapes. It is believed that the word "lozenge" is derived from these Arab sweets made with almonds, the word for which is loz loz in Arabic. in Arabic.

ARAB PROVERB:.

"A year in which there are plenty of almonds and dates increases prosperity and life."

Ora.s.s bi Loz Almond b.a.l.l.s Makes 22-24 b.a.l.l.s 2 cups ground almonds 1 cup superfine sugar 1 or 2 drops of almond extract (optional) About 3 tablespoons rose or orange-blossom water 12 blanched almonds or pistachio nuts to garnish (optional) Confectioners' sugar to roll the b.a.l.l.s in at the end Mix the ground almonds and sugar in a bowl. Add the almond extract if you wish (I prefer it without), and rose or orange-blossom water, and work well with your hands. The mixture will seem dry at first, but the almonds will release enough oil to bind the mixture. Knead to a soft doughy paste.

Shape into 1-inch b.a.l.l.s (the size of large marbles) and roll in confectioners' sugar. Decorate each ball, if you like, with a split almond or pistachio stuck on top.

Variations Instead of 1 cup superfine sugar, use 2 cups confectioners' sugar.

Do the same recipe with ground pistachio nuts instead of almonds and stick a whole pistachio on the top. These green b.a.l.l.s are heavenly.

Stuff the almond b.a.l.l.s with chopped pistachios. This is really superb. Make a little hole in each almond ball with your finger and fill it with chopped pistachios mixed with sugar.

Close the hole over the pistachios and shape into a ball again. Roll the b.a.l.l.s in confectioners' sugar and place them in small paper cases. Decorate the top of each ball with a whole or half pistachio which has been stripped of its thin skin to make its greenness apparent. * In Iraq, almond paste, colored yellow with moistened saffron powder, is flattened in a tray, cut into lozenges, and covered with gold-leaf paper. Thus adorned, it is sent to friends by a bride's family to celebrate her wedding.

ARAB WISDOM:.

"When I go to my house after a day of labor, the food tastes good to me though it be cheap. Does, then, the richest merchant in the city enjoy his quail and duck and partridges more than I enjoy my bread and dates? And can man be happier than I with my wife, for if there be not love, what pleasure has a man in a woman?"

Kahk bi Loz Almond Bracelets Use a paste similar to that given for almond b.a.l.l.s (preceding recipe). Mix 1 pound (5 cups) ground almonds with 1 pound (2 cups) confectioners' sugar. Add the white of 1 small egg, stiffly beaten, and just enough orange-blossom water to make a firm, dryish paste. (For a paste made with 2 cups ground almonds, use only half a small egg white and do not be tempted to use more.) Knead the paste well, and roll into thin sausages about 5 inches long. Bring the ends together and flatten them, making bracelets the size of small napkin rings. Decorate, if you like, with a few blanched almonds. Arrange on cookie sheets lined with baking paper.

Bake in a preheated 400F oven for about 10 minutes. The bracelets must not be allowed to color. They will be soft while hot but become firm on cooling. Lift carefully when they have cooled.

Variation For almond macaroons, roll into walnut-sized b.a.l.l.s, flatten them slightly, and stick a blanched almond in the middle of each.

Tamr bi Loz Stuffed Dates Makes about 50 * In North Africa the almond stuffing is colored green to give the semblance of pistachios, which are considered grander. You can of course use real pistachios. In North Africa the almond stuffing is colored green to give the semblance of pistachios, which are considered grander. You can of course use real pistachios.

1 cups ground almonds or pistachios cup superfine sugar 2-3 tablespoons rose water or orange-blossom water 1 pound dried dates (the soft California or Tunisian ones) Mix the ground almonds or pistachios and sugar in a bowl, and add just enough rose or orange-blossom water to bind them into a firm paste. Put in less than you seem to require, as, once you start kneading with your hands, the oil from the almonds will act as an extra bind. Alternatively, you can start with blanched almonds or pistachios and blend all the ingredients except the dates to a paste in a food processor.

Make a slit on one side of each date with a pointed knife and pull out the pit. Take a small lump of almond or pistachio paste, pull the date open wide, press the paste in the opening, and close the date only slightly over it, so that the filling is revealed generously. They keep well for weeks.

Halawa Tamr Date and Walnut Drops Makes about 50 * Blend in a food processor and reduce to a paste 1 pound dried pitted dates (of the soft, moist variety), then work in 1 pound coa.r.s.ely chopped walnuts. Shape into marble-sized b.a.l.l.s and roll in confectioners' sugar. They keep well for weeks and are good to serve with coffee. Blend in a food processor and reduce to a paste 1 pound dried pitted dates (of the soft, moist variety), then work in 1 pound coa.r.s.ely chopped walnuts. Shape into marble-sized b.a.l.l.s and roll in confectioners' sugar. They keep well for weeks and are good to serve with coffee.

Variation For an Algerian version with dried figs, blend in the food processor 1 pound dried figs, 1 pound pitted dates, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 tablespoon aniseed, then work in pound coa.r.s.ely chopped nuts. Shape into marble-sized b.a.l.l.s and roll in confectioners' sugar.

Halawa Mishmish Apricot b.a.l.l.s Makes about 50 * Use a natural, tart variety of dried apricots, not the sweetened or honeyed ones; they must also be soft. These keep well for weeks and are good to serve with coffee. Use a natural, tart variety of dried apricots, not the sweetened or honeyed ones; they must also be soft. These keep well for weeks and are good to serve with coffee.

1 pound dried apricots Confectioners' sugar About 25 sh.e.l.led pistachios to decorate Do not soak or wash the apricots, or you will produce a cream. Put them as they are in the food processor and blend them to a smooth paste, adding a very little water, by the teaspoon if necessary. Wash your hands and, wetting them or greasing them with a little oil so that the paste does not stick, take little lumps of paste and roll into marble-sized b.a.l.l.s. Roll them in confectioners' sugar and press half a pistachio on the top of each.

Variations Mix cup coa.r.s.ely chopped pistachios with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Make a small hole in the center of each apricot ball, put in a little of the filling, close the hole again, and roll in confectioners' sugar.

Work cup coa.r.s.ely chopped pistachios into the apricot paste with your hands.

Stuffed Walnuts Makes

20.

1 cups ground almonds cups ground almonds cup superfine sugar 2-3 tablespoons orange-blossom water, or more 20 sh.e.l.led walnuts or 40 walnut halves cup sugar Make a firm paste by mixing the ground almonds, superfine sugar, and orange-blossom water and kneading it with your hands. Take about 1 heaping teaspoon of the paste and press it between 2 walnut halves. Place these on an oiled surface (a marble slab, a plate, a pastry sheet will do).

Make some caramel by heating and stirring the sugar until it melts and turns a light-brown color. Pour a little over each walnut. When it is cold and hard, it will hold the walnut halves together. Place in little paper cases to serve.

Caramelized Nut Cl.u.s.ters Caramelized almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachio nuts were among the range of confectionery sold on the beaches of Alexandria when I was a child. Young vendors paced the sands carrying confections and sweetmeats in large, flat wicker baskets, chanting "Fresca!" "Fresca!" (I wonder if it originated from the Italian, meaning "fresh.") They balanced the baskets on their heads, resting them on a coiled piece of soft cloth, and sometimes carried a second basket perched on one hip and held at the other side by an outstretched hand. Their chant was echoed by that of other vendors, singing, " (I wonder if it originated from the Italian, meaning "fresh.") They balanced the baskets on their heads, resting them on a coiled piece of soft cloth, and sometimes carried a second basket perched on one hip and held at the other side by an outstretched hand. Their chant was echoed by that of other vendors, singing, " Casquette, baranet, pantofla, pastillia, chocolat!" Casquette, baranet, pantofla, pastillia, chocolat!" ("Caps, hats, slippers, pastilles, chocolate!"), or ("Caps, hats, slippers, pastilles, chocolate!"), or "Gazouza, gazouza!" "Gazouza, gazouza!" ("Fizzy lemonade!"). Some sold salted roasted peanuts and pistachios as well as confectionery, and gambled these in games of odds-and-evens with their customers. ("Fizzy lemonade!"). Some sold salted roasted peanuts and pistachios as well as confectionery, and gambled these in games of odds-and-evens with their customers.

To make nut cl.u.s.ters, put about 3 cups whole hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachio nuts (blanched or not) together in little heaps on an oiled marble slab or on a large oiled plate. Melt 2 cups sugar over very low heat, stirring constantly. Allow the caramel to become light brown, then pour it over the nut cl.u.s.ters. As it cools, the caramel will harden and hold the nuts together.

Alternatively, and more simply, the nuts or almonds can be thrown into the hot, light-brown caramel and stirred until they are all well coated. Pour the whole onto an oiled slab or plate. When it has hardened, crack it into pieces.

A less common variation is to simmer the nuts in honey instead of caramel until the mixture thickens. Sesame seeds are sometimes used in this manner.

Pickles and Preserves MEKHALEL.

Food preservation is a particularly important problem in hot countries, especially in isolated, nonagricultural areas. The processes used today by families, grocers, and street vendors are those inherited from their ancestors of the ancient Oriental and cla.s.sical civilizations, who had an even greater need for careful preservation in the days before easy transport, refrigerators, canning, and freezing. Although pickling was originally devised as a method of preservation, the result is so delicious that pickles are now prepared for their own sake, to be served as mezze or to accompany main dishes. They are usually eaten as soon as they are ready, and the pickling solutions contain less salt and vinegar than they would if they were made to last, which makes them more appealing.

Pickles are prepared in their season, and also throughout the year, since even when the vegetables are not in season in one area, it is now generally possible to import them from a neighboring country. Every home has its martaban martaban, or jars filled with various pickles, ready for eating at all times of the day.

My father has told me he remembers that when he was a child visiting relatives in Syria the women of the family devoted their time to pickling and to making jams and syrups whenever they had no parties, feasts, or other household activities to occupy them. Large gla.s.s jars were filled with turnips, onions, cuc.u.mbers, lemons, cauliflower, eggplants, and peppers. The family could hardly wait to start eating them, and often did so before the pickles were quite ready. A visit to the cellar or store cupboard to see how they were maturing and mellowing to soft pinks, saffrons, mauves, and pale greens was a mouth-watering expedition.

Grocers in the Middle East prepare their own pickles. It was customary in the past, and still is today, for them to offer customers a taste of their newly mellowed pickles as well as a sample of their cheeses and jams. This custom may have been motivated by the hope that the customer would not be able to resist taking some home; but any ulterior motive was well concealed behind a heart-warming affability and generosity. Some "Roumi" "Roumi" (Greek) grocers in Egypt would even insist on offering a second helping, regardless of whether there appeared to be any intention on the customer's part to buy. (Greek) grocers in Egypt would even insist on offering a second helping, regardless of whether there appeared to be any intention on the customer's part to buy.

A relative of my father's was known to go from one grocer to another, tasting here and there, a little of everything, dipping a large finger into a new batch of jam or honey, until he had satisfied his appet.i.te. No shopkeeper ever begrudged him, since they all regarded "tasting" as a traditional and obligatory duty. They may even have been secretly flattered that this fat man visited them so often.

Restaurants like to display a vividly colorful a.s.sortment of pickles, sometimes placing them on their windowsills to lure customers in. Pickle jars are also a feature of the street. Squatting on the pavements of busy streets, vendors sell homemade pickled turnips swimming in a pink solution, or eggplants looking fiercely black and shiny in enormous jars. Pa.s.sersby dip their hands in, searching for the tastiest and largest piece, and savor them with bread provided by the vendor, soaking it in the pink salt-and-vinegar solution or the seasoned oil. Some can only afford to dip their bread in the pickling liquor and sit in the sun, rapturously savoring the treat. When the pickles are finished, the vendor sometimes sells the precious liquor as a sauce for rice.

Hamad M'Rakad Preserved Lemons Preserved lemons lend a unique and distinctive flavor to North African dishes. You find the softened lemons in jars, or sold loose in street markets. They are now also common fare in the south of France. You can make them yourself. They take about 4 weeks to mature and can last a year. When they are ready to use, the pulp is scooped out and thrown away-only the skin is eaten. You can use small limes with thin skins, or ordinary lemons with thick ones. There are three common ways of making them.

Lemons Preserved in Salt and Lemon Juice In this method, which is considered most prestigious and gives the best results, no water is used. You will need cup salt for 1 pound lemons. This works out at about 4 tablespoons salt for 4 lemons.

4 lemons (choose them with thick skins) 4 tablespoons sea salt Juice of 4 more lemons, or more Wash and scrub the lemons. The cla.s.sic Moroccan way is to cut each lemon in quarters but not right through, so that the pieces are still attached at the stem end, and to stuff each with plenty of salt. Put them in a gla.s.s jar, pressing them down so that they are squashed together, and close the jar. Leave for 3-4 days, by which time the lemons will have released some of their juices and the skins will have softened a little. Press them down as much as you can and add fresh lemon juice to cover them entirely. Close the jar and leave in a cool place for at least a month, after which they should be ready. The longer they are left, the better the flavor. (If a piece of lemon is not covered, it develops a white mold which is harmless and just needs to be washed off.) Before using, rinse to get rid of the salt and scoop out and discard the pulp.

Lemons Pickled in Brine This is the same procedure as above, but instead of adding lemon juice, cover the lemons with brine made by adding 2 tablespoons salt to warm water. Lemons prepared this way take longer to mature. Some people pour a little oil on top as a protective film.

Lemons Boiled in Brine and Preserved in Oil This quick, unorthodox method gives very good results in 4 days, and the lemons last for months.

With a sharp knife make 8 fine-superficial, not deep-incisions into the lemon skin, from one end of the lemon to the other. Put the lemons in a large pan with salted water (about 8 tablespoons salt for 8 lemons) to cover. Put a smaller lid on top of them to keep them down as they float, and boil for about 25 minutes, or until the peels are very soft. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh, pack the skins in a gla.s.s jar, and cover with olive or vegetable oil. They are ready to use after 4 days, or even sooner.

Torshi Left Pickled Turnips Makes 2 quarts * The most popular pickle of the Arab world is turnips turned pink with cherry-colored beet juices. Huge jars of these pickles adorn the streets and decorate the windows and counters of cafes and restaurants. In Egypt the turnips are pickled in brine alone, or with just a little added vinegar. They are ready to eat within 4-6 days and should be eaten within 6 weeks. * The most popular pickle of the Arab world is turnips turned pink with cherry-colored beet juices. Huge jars of these pickles adorn the streets and decorate the windows and counters of cafes and restaurants. In Egypt the turnips are pickled in brine alone, or with just a little added vinegar. They are ready to eat within 4-6 days and should be eaten within 6 weeks.

2 pounds small white turnips 1 raw or 2 cooked beets, peeled and cut into slices 3 cups water 3 tablespoons salt 3-4 tablespoons red- or white-wine vinegar Peel the turnips and cut them in half or quarters. Pack the pieces in a clean 2-quart jar interspersed with slices of beet.

Boil the water with the salt and vinegar, and let it cool a little before pouring over the turnips and closing the jar.

Store in a warm place or at room temperature for 6 days, until mellowed, then keep in the refrigerator.

Variations Put 4 peeled garlic cloves in with the turnips.

Put 1 or 2 chili peppers in the jar.

A medieval recipe for lift mukhalal muhalla lift mukhalal muhalla from al-Baghdadi gives directions for turnips pickled in vinegar, sweetened with honey, perfumed with aromatic herbs, and tinted with saffron. from al-Baghdadi gives directions for turnips pickled in vinegar, sweetened with honey, perfumed with aromatic herbs, and tinted with saffron.

Torshi Arnabeet wa Koromb Pickled Cauliflower and Red Cabbage Makes 2 quarts * This pickle turns a deep purple with the juice from the red cabbage. You can also use white cabbage and color the pickle with a few slices of raw or cooked beet. This pickle turns a deep purple with the juice from the red cabbage. You can also use white cabbage and color the pickle with a few slices of raw or cooked beet.

1 young white cauliflower red or white cabbage 1 small dried chili pepper (optional) About 4 cups water 1 cup white-wine vinegar 3 tablespoons salt Wash the cauliflower and separate it into florets. Cut the cabbage into thick slices in one direction, and then again thickly in the other direction. Leave it in chunks; do not shred it or take the leaves apart. Pack into a 2-quart gla.s.s jar, arranging alternate layers of cauliflower and cabbage chunks. If you like, bury a chili pepper among the vegetables.

Bring the water and vinegar to the boil with the salt and let it cool a little, then pour over the vegetables. Close tightly, and store in a warm place. The pickle will be ready in a week and should be eaten within 6 weeks. It keeps longer if stored in the refrigerator.

LEBANESE SAYING:.

"Herface is whiter than the inside of a turnip."

Torshi Khiar Pickled Cuc.u.mbers Makes 2 quarts 2 pounds small pickling cuc.u.mbers 4 cloves garlic, peeled pounds small pickling cuc.u.mbers 4 cloves garlic, peeled A few celery leaves or a few sprigs of fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dill seed 3 or 4 black peppercorns 3 or 4 whole coriander seeds 4 cups water cup white-wine vinegar 3 tablespoons salt Scrub the cuc.u.mbers well and pack them in a 2-quart gla.s.s jar with the whole garlic cloves, celery leaves, sprigs of dill, or dill seed, peppercorns, and coriander seeds distributed at regular intervals.

Bring the water and vinegar to the boil with the salt and pour over the vegetables. Close the jar tightly with a gla.s.s top if possible, and leave in a warm place to soften and mellow.

The pickle should be ready in 10 days. It will not keep for longer than about 6 weeks unless stored in the refrigerator.

Torshi Betingan Pickled Eggplants Makes 2 quarts 2 pounds very small, long, thin eggplants pounds very small, long, thin eggplants (3-4 inches long) Salt 4 or 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 or 2 small dried chilies, finely chopped 2 cups water 1 cups white-wine vinegar Wash the eggplants. Do not peel them, but make a small slit lengthwise in each one. Poach them in boiling salted water for 5-10 minutes, until softened, weighing the eggplants down with a small, heavy lid. Drain, and when cooled, press gently to squeeze the water out.

Mix the chopped garlic and chilies and stuff the eggplants with this mixture through the slits. Arrange them in layers in a gla.s.s jar.

Put the water, 1 tablespoons salt, and the vinegar in a pan and bring to the boil, then pour over the eggplants. Close the jar tightly. The pickle will be ready to eat after 4 days and will keep up to 2 months or longer in the refrigerator.

Torshi Meshakel Mixed Pickles Makes 2 quarts 2 small pickling cuc.u.mbers, left whole 1 large carrot, thickly sliced small pickling cuc.u.mbers, left whole 1 large carrot, thickly sliced 1 small cauliflower, separated into florets 1 sweet green pepper, seeded, cored, and thickly sliced pound small white turnips, peeled and quartered 3 cloves garlic raw beet, peeled and cut into medium-sized pieces (optional) 1 or 2 small dried chili peppers A few sprigs of fresh dill and 2 teaspoons dill seed 3 cups water 1 cup white-wine vinegar 4 tablespoons salt Wash and prepare the vegetables and pack them tightly in gla.s.s jars with the garlic cloves, beet, chili peppers, and dill divided between them.

Boil the water, vinegar, and salt and pour over the vegetables. Prepare and add more liquid if this is not enough to cover them. Seal tightly, and store in a warm place. The pickle should be ready in about 2 weeks, and keeps 2 months if stored in the refrigerator. The vegetables will be soft and mellow, and tinted pink by the beet. The beet can be omitted if you prefer the vegetables in their natural colors.

Lamoun Makdous Pickled Lemons in Oil It is also good made with fresh limes.

Scrub lemons well and slice them. Sprinkle the slices generously with salt and leave for at least 24 hours on a large plate set at an angle, or in a colander. They will become soft and limp, and lose their bitterness. Arrange the slices in layers in a gla.s.s jar, sprinkling a little paprika between the layers. Cover with olive, nut, or a light vegetable oil.

Close the jar tightly. After about 3 weeks the lemons should be ready to eat-soft, mellow, and a beautiful orange color.

My mother accidentally discovered a way of speeding the process when left with dozens of lemon wedges which had been used to garnish a large party dish. She put them in the freezing compartment of her refrigerator to keep them until she was ready to pickle them. When she sprinkled the frozen lemons with salt, she found that they shed a large quant.i.ty of water and softened in just over an hour. They were ready for eating after only a few days in oil and paprika.

Mekhalel Betingan Vinegared Eggplants in Olive Oil Makes 2 quarts * This easy pickle makes a ready delicious mezze. This easy pickle makes a ready delicious mezze.

2 pounds eggplants Salt 1 cups red- or white-wine vinegar 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed 1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano Olive oi Peel and slice the eggplants. Arrange them in a sieve or colander, sprinkling each layer with salt. Leave for hour to allow the bitter juices to drain away. Rinse off the salt, then poach the slices for 5-10 minutes in boiling vinegar with enough added water to cover, until soft.

Drain well, and arrange the slices in layers in a gla.s.s jar, putting a little crushed garlic and oregano between the layers. Fill the jar with oil and close it tightly.

The eggplants will be ready after about a week and will keep several months.

Betingan Makdous Stuffed Eggplant Pickle in Oil Makes 2 quarts * This popular Lebanese pickle is served as a mezze. Make sure the walnuts have a fresh taste. This popular Lebanese pickle is served as a mezze. Make sure the walnuts have a fresh taste.

2 pounds small, thin eggplants (3-4 inches long) Salt 1 cup finely chopped walnuts 1 small chili, finely chopped 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed Olive oil Trim the stem end of the eggplants and pierce the skin in a few places with a pointed knife. Poach in salted water for 10-15 minutes, or until soft, weighing the eggplants down with a small, heavy lid. Drain, and when they are cool, very gently squeeze to get rid of the water.

Mix the walnuts with the chili and garlic and add a little salt. Cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of each eggplant but not right through, leaving the ends so as to form a pocket. Stuff with the walnut mixture.

Put the eggplants in a colander over a bowl, with a plate and weight on top, and leave overnight for water to drain. Transfer carefully to a jar, and cover with oil. They should be ready in a few days, and they keep for a month in the refrigerator.

Felfel bi Zeit Bell Peppers in Oil Bell peppers marinated in olive oil are one of my favorite pickles. Roast and peel fleshy red bell peppers (see page 84). Put them in ajar and cover with olive oil. You may add a little salt, lemon juice, and crushed garlic. Moroccans add a touch of ground chili pepper.

Harissa Chili Paste Makes -1 cup This famous and formidable chili paste goes into many North African, especially Tunisian, dishes. It keeps very well for many weeks in the refrigerator if covered with oil. You can now find it store-bought more easily, including some homemade-type arti-sa.n.a.l varieties. This famous and formidable chili paste goes into many North African, especially Tunisian, dishes. It keeps very well for many weeks in the refrigerator if covered with oil. You can now find it store-bought more easily, including some homemade-type arti-sa.n.a.l varieties.

2 ounces dried hot red chili peppers (stems and seeds removed) 4 cloves garlic, peeled 1 teaspoon ground caraway 1 teaspoon ground coriander teaspoon salt Extra-virgin olive oil Soak the chili peppers in water for 30 minutes, until soft. Drain and pound with the garlic, spices, and a little salt with a pestle and mortar, or blend in a food processor, adding just enough oil, by the tablespoon, to make a soft paste.

Press into ajar and cover with oil.

Sals at al Banadoura Tomato Sauce Serves 6 * Although this is not a pickle, I am in-cluding the recipe because it is a very useful sauce to have at hand when required, and it can be prepared in advance and stored in jars. It keeps for months if the surface remains covered with a * Although this is not a pickle, I am in-cluding the recipe because it is a very useful sauce to have at hand when required, and it can be prepared in advance and stored in jars. It keeps for months if the surface remains covered with a film film of oil. of oil.

1large onion, finely chopped Olive oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled 2pounds tomatoes, peeled and quartered Salt and pepper 1-2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons crushed dried oregano Fry the onion until soft and golden in 3 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan. Add the whole garlic cloves and fry for a few minutes longer, until lightly colored.

Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and the sugar. Sprinkle with oregano, and cook gently over low heat, squashing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until softened. Then cover the pan and simmer very gently for 1 hour, or until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick jammy sauce.

Remove the garlic cloves and pour the sauce nto a gla.s.s jar. Pour a thin layer of oil over the surface, cover the jar tightly, and store in the refrigerator.

Variation A Moroccan version adds teaspoon cinna-mon and teaspoon powdered ginger.

Jams and Fruit Preserve MURABBIYAT.

Like pastries, jams remind me vividly of my childhood, of visiting relatives, of sitting on low sofas surrounded with bright silk and velvet cushions. My father's sisters, whom we visited regularly, were always fragrant with their favorite homemade soaps perfumed with violets, rose water, orange blossom, and jasmine. Their homes were intoxicating with the frankincense which they used in every room, as well as musk and ambergris, and the jasmine, orange blossom, and rose petals which were left soaking in water in little china or crystal bowls.

Candied orange peel, quince paste, coconut, fig, date, rose, tangerine, and strawberry jams would be brought in as soon as we arrived, together with pyramids of little pastries, to the accompaniment of tiny tinkling silver spoons, trembling on their stands like drops on a chandelier. Delicately engraved and inlaid silver trays carried small crystal or silver bowls filled with shiny jams: orange, brilliantly white, mauve, rich brown, deep rose, or sienna red. They were arranged around the spoon stand, next to which was placed a gla.s.s of water, ornate with white or gold arabesques.

As coffee was served, the trays were brought round to each of us in turn, for us to savor a spoonful of each jam with one of the little spoons, which was then dropped discreetly into the gla.s.s of water. At our beautiful aunt Regine's we would be served the best date jam in existence; our favorite rose jam was made by our gentle aunt Rahele; and Camille made an inimitable sour-cherry jam.

These jams and preserves can be eaten with bread or savored on their own with coffee or a gla.s.s of ice-cold water. They can also be served as a ready dessert with thick cream, or as an accompaniment to rice pudding.

Naring Bitter Orange Peel in Syrup This is one of the most popular and exquisite preserves. As the peels keep well in the refrigerator, you can collect them gradually. Choose thin-skinned oranges, preferably the bitter Seville type. Rub very lightly with a fine grater to remove their shine and some of their bitterness, being careful not to grate too deeply. Then, with a sharp-pointed knife, cut 6 deep lines in the peel from end to end and pull off the peel in 6 strips.