Makrouts

                                                                              Receta en Español

This dessert is known as macroude, makrodh o makrout , it is typical from Algeria, Morocco,Libya and Tunisia.

In Algeria there re 3 kind of Makrouts, 2 of them made of almonds and 1 of them made of dates. 
Today I present you this makrouts filled with dates. It's origin comes from Mzab Oasis, close to Sahara desert. They can be fried or cooked in oven.
I show you the recipe of Makrouts cooked in oven:

Ingredients (100 Makrouts)

For the dough:

• 1 Kg medium wheat semolina .
• 250 g fine wheat semolina.
• 400 g butter (to prepare ghee).
• 1 liter water.
• Salt.
• 2 tablespoon orange blossom water.
• 200 g honey + 3 tablespoon orange blossom water (to bathe Makrouts).
• Cling Film.

For the Filling:

• 500 g dates pasta . (Already made or you can buy pitted dates and smash them).
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon.
• 1 teaspoon ground clove.
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water.
• 2 tablespoon honey or butter in case dates paste is too dry.

Method

1.      To prepare the filling: Mix dates pasta with orange blossom water,cinnamon and clove.

2.      Use your hands to knead the dough until it is well mixed and soft . If you press a finger on the dough the print should remain.

3.      Take a little quantity of dough and knead it into the shape of a cilinder (make more cilinders with the rest of the dough).

4.      To prepare the outer side: Mix well both semolinas and salt, use your hands.

5.      Heat butter until it is melted.

6.      Get rid of the white coat of the surface of the melted butter, this way we obtain ghee.

7.      Pour ghee over the semolinas and mix well, first with a spoon , then when the mixture is not hot use your hands to knead the dough until all the ghee is well absorbed.

8.      Let stand 1 hour.

9.      Add orange blossom water and keep on kneading.

10.   Add warm water little by little, continue kneading with your hands until the dough is this consistency,  if you press a finger on the dough the print should remain:

11.   Wrap the dough in cling film and let stand 30 minutes.

12.   Spread the dough like a rectangle 1 cm thick and make a groove in the middle:

13.   Place dates pasta into the groove.

14.   Wrap the dates pasta with the dough.

15.   Roll the dough until you obtain a cilinder:

16.   Flatten the cilinder and cut in a diamond shape.

17.   With the help of a knife make some stripes on the surface to decorate the Makrouts:

18. Place makrouts on a oven proof dish, thay must be close one to the other because dates pasta should not be exposed to the oven.

19.   Preheat oven to 180 ºC.

20.   Cook Makrouts at 180 ºC for 10 or 20 minutes, thay must get sligthy golden.

21.   We prepare honey syrup,mix honey with 3 orange blossom water then turn on the heat to warm it.

22.   Dip Makrouts into the syrup, both sides.

        23.  Let drain :

My comments to the Recipe

 

This maskrouts can be conserved into the fridge for 2 weeks. The taste is amazing , if you eat them some days after the elaboration, thay are even better!

 

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Algeria

Algerian Couscous

                                                                               Receta en Español


Couscous is a traditional dish in Algeria, it can be served as a side dish for vegetables or meat. This is a very complet dish.
Today I present you how it is traditionally prepared in Algeria.

Ingredients (4 people) :

• 250 grams medium couscous.
• 250 g lamb.
• 200 g chickpeas.
• 2 tomatos.
• 2 little zuchinni.
• 2  turnips.
• 4 carrots.
• 2 peppers.
• 1 onion.
• 3 garlic cloves.
• 1/2 teaspoon of ras-al-hanout.
• 1/2 teaspoon harissa (this is spicy).
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder.
• Olive oil.
• 50 g butter.
• Some raisins.
• Salt and pepper..

Method

1. Soak chickpeas overnight.

2. Put chickpeas in a casserole with water and salt, cook until soft.  

3. Cut onion and garlic and saute it in a pan until they are brown.

4. Cut and salt the lamb ,cook it together with onion and garlic.

5. Cut carrots, zuchinni and turnips into strips, salt . Put a little water in the pressure cooker , place vegetables into the pressure cooker , we want to steam them so vegetables should not touch water.  Close pressure cooker, put on high heat, when steam comes out from the valve put heat on low heat and cook for 3 minutes.

                     

6.   Once vegetables are cooked, we add them to the casserole with the lamb. Add chickpeas, tomatos cut into slices, pepper, innamon, ras-el-hanout ,100 ml water and salt. Cook at low heat for 1 hour and a half.

7.   Cook cous cous the way I told you in the previous post:  How to cook cous cous.

8.   Now is time to plating. Cous cous must be placed at the side, it should be mixed with the rest of the meal only when eating.

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Algeria