a traditional sefardi holiday appetizer

small deep-fried little parcels of brik (ouarka, malsouka, feuilles de dioul) or phyllo pastry sheets are one of the ne plus ultra appetizers on a sephardic table. always served at any celebration or holiday, they are formed into different shapes and can be either sweet or savoury. cigares and pasteles (pass-tell (ez)) are usually made and served in (very) large numbers, as people tend to go through them like no tomorrow. they also show off the cook's skills as it takes a good filling and adept hands to fill and fry these little bundles.

in reality, it is not the so much the difficulty level in making these as it is the time it takes to make them that seems to be a deterrent. with the way things are today, many will buy them ready made from a caterer or shop specializing in this type of fare. they are, however, still made at home in many families, especially as the holidays approach.

as the name cigare indicates, these pastries are formed into small tubular shapes like that of a cigar. what about pasteles? well, the name derives from pastel, which in spanish means something akin to a pie. the traditional sephardi moroccan shape is that of a triangle. pastel, however does not just mean this type of appetizer ..... but that's for another discussion, another time.

the filling for these appetizers, called la miga, is cooked beforehand. this serves two purposes: to dry up any liquids preventing leakage and weakening the pastry and to have a filling which is already precooked. the pastry would overcook and blacken by the time the filling would cook completely had it been raw. additionally, as a matter of refinement, the filling is also ground very finely after it is cooked.

in this case, the filling is a meat one. of course, for you non-meat eaters, other fillings can be substituted. the only thing is that it must be one which will cook by the same time the wrapper is cooked. a tvp product can substitute for the meat here for a parve alternative with excellent results, also.


cigares & pasteles à la viande
sephardi meat filled appetizers

makes 2 - 3 dozen (who knows, i've never counted!)

ingredients:

la miga (filling) —

version 1:

1 1/2 lb ground beef or lamb
2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp mace (opt)
1/2 tsp cayenne powder or 1 tsp harissa (more or less)
1 1/2 - 2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c water

1/4 c browned pine nuts, opt
1/3 c chopped parsley or coriander

version 2:

1 - 1 1/2 lb ground beef or lamb
1 - 2 onions, chopped
1 - 2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
3 - 4 bay leaves (remove after cooking meat)
1 tsp harissa or cayenne powder (or to taste)
oil as needed for frying meat
1/2 c water
1/2 lemon, juiced

(follow same method for cooking & grinding below)

* * * * *

10 - 12 sheets of brik (ouarka) pastry OR,
phyllo sheets

egg for egg wash
oil for frying

method:

make the filling as follows —

fry the pine nuts until lightly browned and set aside.

chop onion finely and saute until translucent. add the meat and spices, 1/2 c water and lemon juice and cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat. put a lid on and keep the pan covered for about 15 minutes. remove the lid and cook until it dries. you may need to up the heat near the end. do not burn it.

let the meat cool completely and either put it in a processor or through a meat grinder until finely ground. add the pine nuts and parsley or coriander. taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

set it aside covered for later.

both pastelikos and cigares start from a single sheet of brik. one can make 4 cigares from 1 sheet of brik or 2 pastelikos.


for les cigares:

cut the sheets equally into quarters and stack and cover them so they don't dry out.

take one sheet in front of you with the point facing upwards.

place a tablespoon or so of filling in the center and shape it into a little sausage shape about a 1/2 inch from the bottom of the pastry sheet.

now either fold both ends in as so:

or like this (my preferred method):

i.e.: fold up the sheet from the bottom to cover the meat and then fold in either side.


roll them up which ever method you choose.

OR:

with some beaten egg, paint the top of the point and roll the pastry closed tightly.

set them aside on a plate covered or freeze them at this point.


for pastelikos:

take a sheet of brik and fold it in half and crease.

cut along the crease to make 2 halves.

now, with the long side facing upwards, fold the sheet so that the two tops meet (see photo):

place a tablespoon of the filling on the end of the folded pastry and fold over.

now start to fold carefully keeping all the filling in (it will close up on its own as it rolls).

do this until you get to the end.

now the harder part — closing it up. this will take some practice on your part and will depend on how you rolled your pasteliko. when you get near the end, paint one side with egg and then tuck any ends in neatly. it may be a bit stubborn. you can always snip off the loose end.

place down on the side that you painted with egg so that the sides adhere to each other.

set aside covered or freeze right away for later.

deep fry on medium heat. very important: your heat MUST be the correct temperature for deep frying or the pastry will absorb the oil and it will become disgustingly greasy. fry for about 2 or 3 minutes per side until golden brown.

drain well on paper towel and serve. they go well with tomato based sauces or harissa, etc.

this has nothing to do with baby fish!

so here is the third post related to my other two on english morning breads, namely crumpets and english muffins. as the title of this blog post says, it has nothing to do with baby fish, even though the name — pikelets — could lead one to think otherwise (pikelets .... baby pike?). moving along .....

pikelets, when made in the british way, are the english equivalent of a cross between a crumpet and what we north americans would call a pancake or flapjack. it is not the same as australian everyday pikelets which are commonly made with baking powder (and therefore more like our pancakes). true pikelets are made with yeast and are typically smaller than the size of a small dessert plate, filled with little bubbles the result of the action of the yeast in concert with the heat of the griddle pan. the resulting texture is more of a spongy and firm one, not at all like a baking powder leavened pancake. pikelets are said to be the smaller version of historically larger crumpets and are cooked free form without the constraints of rings.

read here for an interesting small article about the differences between the three.


pikelets

made any size you want, these half-crumpet half-pancake little griddle cakes are great with butter and golden syrup (lyle's, of course) or honey. they can be spread with cream cheese and served with jams or even lox. give yourself an hour to an hour and half rising time though, easily done as you read the morning's newspaper on a weekend.

makes 10 - 18, depending on the size you make them

suggestion: make a 1/2 recipe for 2 or 3 people

ingredients:

228 gr all purpose flour (8 oz)
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
284 ml warm milk (10 oz)
1 egg

method:

mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl and blend well with a whisk.

add the yeast and mix again.

measure out egg and milk. heat milk until warm (if making a half recipe, mix egg and measure out half of it).

making a well in the center, add the milk and egg and mix well. whisk it together for about 1 or 2 minutes. it needs to be completely blended.

clean up sides of bowl with a spatula.

cover and let rise for a good hour. if it doesn't look frothed up then let it sit some more. make sure it's in a warm place.

suggestion: i often fill a bowl which will let the mixing bowl sit on top of it with about 2 inches of just boiled water. this creates a very warm heat source which helps the batter prove properly. the bowl with the batter must never sit in the boiled water. there must be a air space in between.

this is what it looks like when properly proved. beat it again now with a whisk. it will lose most of its bubbles and be thick and gloopy in texture.

heat your pan to medium heat and grease it a bit with butter.

add 2 to 3 good tablespoons of batter to the pan and take a palette knife and spread out the pikelet so it will cook evenly.

this is an offset palette knife, use it if you have one. if not, spread it out with another utensil. it must be spread out to cook properly. you'll see the bubbles as it is spread. don't over grease your pan as the batter won't adhere properly and it will be hard to spread the pikelet out.

within approximately 2 minutes, you will see little holes all over it, just like the tops of a crumpet. this is the sign to flip it over and cook on the other side for another 2 or 3 minutes.

remove to a plate and keep covered with a tea towel.

enjoy with butter, jam, preserves, syrups or honey.

more english morning breads

this post is the second of three, all related to english morning breads — the first, being on the subject of crumpets. (you'll just have to wait and see what the last will be!)

in north america, two extremely popular "a.m." small bread choices (besides the bagel), are either the english muffin or, full-of-holes, crumpet. both are readily available in supermarkets and conveniently come in packages of 6 to 8. many people mix up the two, however. well, at least linguistically for the most part.

while closely related to each other, they are not the same. the crumpet, soft and spongy, and characterized by its network of holes and channels due to the viscosity of its batter, is made in metal rings to maintain its shape. it is always eaten as a whole. the english muffin is more like a small tight-grained bread, made from a stiffer dough which is either hand shaped into "muffins" or cut into shape after being rolled out. usually coated with fine cornmeal or rice flour, it is either pulled apart with two forks or sliced open with a knife and then toasted.

the following recipe for english muffins is one amongst many. this particularly easy one uses a standard mix-knead-rise-shape method, whereas others involve making a poolish (starter) and longer waiting periods. the recipe also incorporates wholewheat /meal/ flour in a small quantity and bread /"strong"/ flour. standard recipes for english muffins use milk but it can be replaced with soy milk, making these non-dairy and suitable for those maintaining a vegan diet.

english muffins

whether eaten toasted or not, these little "muffins" are equally good with a sweet topping like jam or preserves as they are topped with a poached egg. making a double batch will save you time later from having to repeat the process. they can be frozen quite successfully and taken out one-by-one for those times when you don't want toast or the standard bagel. you can also take satisfaction in knowing you made these yourself and they contain no unnatural ingredients.

makes 8 (or more)

ingredients:

398 g bread flour (14 oz)
58 g wholewheat flour (2 oz)
2 tsp instant type yeast (or regular: see recipe*)

1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

142 ml warm water (5 oz)
170 ml milk or soymilk (7 oz)

2 tbsp fine cornmeal or rice flour (gritty type)

method:

mix the two flours with the salt and sugar in a large bowl. do not add the yeast yet.

measure out the water and milk and warm it in the microwave or on stove top. it should be fairly warm but not hot. if you can keep your finger in there until the count of 10 without it burning, it's ready.

place the dry ingredients without the yeast in the bowl in the microwave and heat it for 30 seconds. this well warm up the flour.

add the yeast and stir everything well. *if using regular active dry yeast, add it with a little sugar in the warm water-milk until it proves, approx. 10 minutes.

add the liquid and stir until it becomes shaggy.

mix it with your hands until you get a ball of dough.

knead this dough for a good 10 minutes.

place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl and cover. set aside in a warm place like an oven with the pilot light on for at least an hour. it needs to double.

once doubled, knock it back (i.e. press down on it) but do not reknead it.


take the dough out of the bowl as is and roll out to a 1/2 - 3/4" thickness on a surface that has been dusted first with either fine cornmeal or british style rice flour (gritty like the finest sand, not floury) and cut it into 8 rounds (~3 inches in diameter). you can bake the scraps as extra little treats or to give to the kids.

the alternate, and quite traditional way of making these is to separate the dough into 8 balls and form little "muffins", meaning little flattened cakes (see below).

place these on a baking sheet and cover. let rise again for 1/2 hour. they will inflate on their own.

about 25 minutes into waiting, heat up a griddle type pan or cast iron pan over medium heat.

carefully place 4 of the muffins around the circumference of the heated pan and not in the center as it is too hot.

cook the muffins on each side for about 6 to 7 minutes. they should be a yellowish golden brown.

the common practice is to check the "waists" of the muffins by pressing on either side to gauge if they are fully cooked.

split the muffins with a fork (traditional) or cut with a serrated knife. notice that the interior texture is like more of a bread than that of the crumpet which is full of holes.

voilà — your own homemade english muffins.

enjoy plain or toasted with butter and jams
or even savoury toppings!

kitchen essentials — warming your flour

often, in bread or yeasted-pastry making, home bakers run into problems for the successful proving of their doughs. many factors can be at play such as the ambient (room) temperature, the season itself, the status of the yeast and so on.

one way to give your breads a head start is to actually warm the flour beforehand. this is especially helpful in colder climates or during late autumn and the wintertime. you don't need very cold times to use this method, however — it can be used whenever you feel it would be beneficial. as yeast is a heat loving organism, this little trick provides an already comfortable climate in which it can multiply easily and happily, leaving you will a nicely risen final dough, provided you maintain that nice environment!

preheating your flour

ingredients:

flour(s)
extras such as salt, sugar

*never yeast

method:

place your dry mixed ingredients in a microwaveable bowl and heat it for 30 seconds (for high powered microwaves) or longer depending on your microwave.

NEVER INCLUDE THE YEAST IN YOUR DRY INGREDIENTS!

the idea is to warm the flour — not to make it piping hot, a condition which could potentially kill the yeast when it is added.

after the flour and other dry ingredients are warmed, either add your instant yeast directly, or if using fresh yeast or active dry, dissolved/proved as part of the liquid ingredients in your recipe.

remember your liquids should be warm also or at least at room temperature as adding cold wet ingredients will nix the whole concept bring everything back to a lower than desirable temperature.

crosswords & morning breads

sunday mornings, and usually a good part of the day, at my house, are often reserved for making bread of some sort and preparing food for the coming week. since there is always a lot of waiting involved when it comes to the bread-making part, it gives me time to do housework crosswords, leisurely drink my (gallons of) coffee and contemplate what i should be doing the rest of that day. oops, 3 pm and i'm still not dressed?? blame it on the unfinished crossword puzzle.

#72 down — 7 letters: london edible "sponge" ...... what the {insert necessary curse word here}!?!

you know, i wasted a lot of time on that one.

the joke was on me though, when i realized the answer was already "cooking" and staring me in the face in my kitchen: CRUMPET!! i guess things were meant to be that particular sunday.

(from linda's culinary and food dictionary):

crumpet (KRUHM-pit) - Crumpets are British griddlecakes. A cross between a pancake and an American-style English muffin, the crumpet is a soft yeast-raised bread that is poured into special rings about the size of a small pancake (flat discs about three inches across and an inch or so deep), then baked on a stovetop. They are similar to an English muffin (one side is smooth, the other full of tiny holes) but flatter. You don't slice a crumpet and it is best toasted. Some, especially in the north of England, call crumpets muffins, while others, particularly in the Midlands call them pikelets (a much thinner and bigger version of a crumpet).

History: British history relates to them as teacakes. Crumpets have been known for several centuries, though the origin of the name is obscure. There are records as far back as the 14th century where they are called a crompid cake. Crompid means "curved up" or "bent into a curve", which is what usually happens to thin cakes baked on a griddle; the word may be linked to crumb, crimp and other words from a common Germanic origin. In the 1930s, the word crumpet became British English slang for a woman regarded as an object of sexual desire.

it seems the english do enjoy their ladies likened to food: the word, tart, comes to mind also, LOL.

find out more about this word here.

.... and what else besides trumpet rhymes with crumpet?? an odd word, indeed.

* * * * *

for first timers, making crumpets may take a little forethought and practice. metal rings are necessary to maintain the shape of these morning breads but they can be easily 'facsimiled' by take either tuna or salmon cans and removing both ends. after a good scrubbing, they are perfect; you'll have saved yourself money from having to buy them at a kitchenwares store and you're recycling. they're also good for many years to come.


the other thing a first timer needs to know or remember is that practice makes perfect. these are fairly fool-proof but one does need to make sure the right texture for the batter is achieved (all is explained below). if the batter is too thick, you'll end up with a cake-like interior. properly greasing the rings is also of extreme importance. apart from these two things, it is a very straightforward recipe and procedure, easily done by most people.

though traditionally made with milk, you can substitute (parve) soymilk for a dairy free version which is good for those on a vegan diet.

* * * * *

weekend crumpets

soft and spongy, these little morning breads are filled with their traditional holes which make the perfect receptacles for capturing freshly melted butter and all kinds of jams. of course, if you're feeling lavish, you could always opt for some double devon or clotted cream to make it a memorable and most enjoyable event ;) these crumpets can be frozen for several weeks, well wrapped, and easily reheated in a toaster for a quick breakfast or anytime snack.

makes 10 to 12

ingredients:

1 tsp sugar
12 oz milk (or soy milk)
1 pkg yeast (1/2 oz or 17 g fresh)

170 g all purpose flour
170 g bread flour
1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp warm water

1/3 to 1/2 c water

oil or butter (or parve margarine)
crumpet rings*

method:

mix both flours together with the salt and set aside.

warm the milk and add the sugar and the yeast. let it proof several minutes and then thoroughly mix to dissolve.

make a well in the center of the flour mixture. add the milk and yeast mixture into the center of the flour and mix well.

now either mix in a heavy duty mixer or using a strong wooden spoon, mix the batter for a good 4 to 5 minutes.

it must be worked so that when the mixture is lifted it will make a unbroken rope indicating that the gluten has been activated enough. if you skip this (mixing) step, you won't end up with a properly finished bread.

cover the bowl and let it rise for an hour to an hour and a half in a warm place (like a prewarmed oven with the pilot light on - heat the oven on the lowest setting for about a minute first before putting anything inside). let the dough rise until it has doubled. it may drop if the yeast is very active. that's a good sign and perfectly fine.

now mix together the baking soda and 3 tbsp of water and add it to the dough mixture. stir well for another 2 or 3 minutes and cover the bowl. it needs to rise again for a 1/2 hour.

grease the rings well and place them in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. if you don't oil them well enough, you can expect disaster come time to release them.

now for the "hard" part: deciding if the batter is the right texture. in order to make a "proper" crumpet, the batter has to be thin or thick "enough", depending on how you are looking at it, so that it will make the characteristic network of holes. most likely, your mixture will be too thick at this point. it's hard to say, as different flours in different countries will absorb moisture at different rates; it also depends on the time of year.

the guideline is that the batter has to be the consistency that it will drop easily into the rings in a semi solid/liquid state. what does that mean? the batter can't be too thin or too thick. so ..... make a test one first but before starting: lift the batter up with a spoon and let it drop back into bowl. if it drops in a single lump then it's too thick, if it runs all the way back into the bowl like milk would, for example, it is too thin (this is unlikely the case).

therefore, add enough water so that the batter will easily fall back into the bowl and still maintain a somewhat "gloppy" state. i suggest testing only one crumpet first — if it makes the proper holes (see below), then it's thin enough. if not, add a little more water and retest.

with that said.....

keep an extra little dish of oil and a teaspoon next to the stove.

place ONLY approximately 1/4 c (or a little less) into the rings. you don't need a lot as it will rise due to the yeast.

right away, take about a 1/2 teaspoon of oil and distribute it around the circumference of the crumpet to help it release. experience has shown that this one of the easiest ways, unless you want to start taking a knife and having to gouge it out.

in about 1 minute's time the mixture will rise and start to show holes.

after about 2 minutes, the holes will start to open up and remain open.

by 3 minutes or so, the tops should be fairly dry with only the centers somewhat still wet. it is important that the tops be almost completely dry as they will fuse together if still wet when flipped over to cook.

once the tops look almost completely cooked (dry) --> it should only take about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes at most, remove the rings. this may require you to use the help of a knife. if they are completely stuck then you did not add enough oil.

flip the crumpets over and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

voila! your own perfect creations.

(here they are cut in half to show the interior structure)

enjoy, toasted & slathered in butter & jam!