Each holiday has it’s special flavors and textures. One of the special treats we prepare for Pesah is “masa di vino”, a wine cookie with a delightful and unique taste and texture. They are easy to make and freeze well. My cousin, Leon Hasson, has become our ‘Go To’ guy for these treats……he has the recipe down pat to produce a crispy, flavorful cookie. Give them a try!
Ingredients:
1 C oil
3/4 C sweet wine
3/4 C sugar
1 egg
2 C Passover cake meal
1 C chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 C Passover potato starch
Mix sugar, oil and wine well. Add egg and dry ingredients.
Take walnut sized pieces of dough. Roll into a ball. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Flatten by hand. With tines of a fork, press each cookie to produce a design.
Meringue clouds…..a divine confection of the Gods! A special occasion delicacy passed down by our grandmothers !
A perfect dessert to make for Passover.
Growing up, we knew it was a very special occasion when Grandma made Ashuplados……meringue clouds! Sweet….light as a feather, a light shell on the outside. Texture, sweetness……simply….divine!!!
They look beautiful on a sweet table, and delight young and more mature and sophisticated palettes alike!
These are one of my mom’s signature delicacies.
Give them a try! And let us know how they turn out!!
Kaye (Hasson) Israel’s Ashuplados
Ingredients:
1 ¾ Cup sugar
6 eggs – (you will use the whites ONLY)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Separate eggs. Use whites ONLY. Place in a COMPLETELY dry mixing bowl. (moisture will adversely affect the creating of the meringue)
Using an electric stand mixer, begin mixing the egg whites and gradually add the sugar. Continuing beating on high for approximately 20 minutes. Mixing will be done when the mixture stands in very stiff peaks
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. ( there was a time when brown paper bags were cut and used to line these pans to ensure a very dry surface. However, parchment seems a more sanitary alternative available these days!!)
Spoon mounds of the meringue onto the lined cookie sheets. Ashuplados can be made as large or small as you wish. My mom used heaping tablespoons to create these clouds.
We sprinkle nonpareils on top for a festive look.
Before putting them in the oven, TURN HEAT DOWN to 225 degrees. Bake for one hour.
Ashuplados can be made one day before serving. They are best enjoyed for a day or two after preparation. By the third or fourth day they become dry and are not as good as when first prepared. (* however, we have learned over the past few years that ashuplados freeze beautifully! Package delicately and freeze within the first day they are made).
A favorite for Pesah – or a good parve dessert year round
In our home, we have always used a variety of nuts in baking……almonds and walnuts, in particular. Moustachudos make a good Pesah dessert. The cloves give them a special “kick”. These treats can be made in advance and freeze well.
Ingredients for Moustachudos:
1 1/2 C pecans or walnuts, coarsely ground
1 1/2 C almonds, coarsely ground
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 egg
water – 1/2 eggshell full
Coarsely grind all nuts.
Add other ingredients including 1/2 eggshell filled with water. (folks, that’s how it’s done!!)https://video.wordpress.com/embed/K3o9O2op?hd=0&autoPlay=0&permalink=1&loop=0&preloadContent=metadata&muted=0&playsinline=0&controls=1&cover=1
Shape into triangle or ball shapes about 1″ in diameter.
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 5 or 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown.
Allow to cool and harden before removing from pan. Sprinkle with confectioners’ (powered) sugar.
A favorite for Pesah….delightful as a pareve dessert during the year!
Ingredients:
2 C blanched almonds
1 C sugar
2 eggs…whites only
Grind blanched almonds to near a fine consistency.
Mix in a bowl with sugar.
Add egg whites to almonds and sugar. Mix by hand until biscuit-dough consistency. Using a tablespoon or metal scoop, drop 1″ apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
Allow to cool completely before handling. Will harden as they cool.
A favorite during Pesah and a great parve dessert during the year.
A favorite for Pesah….delightful as a pareve dessert during the year!
Ingredients:
2 C blanched almonds
1 C sugar
2 eggs…whites only
Grind blanched almonds to near a fine consistency.
Mix in a bowl with sugar.
Add egg whites to almonds and sugar. Mix until biscuit-dough consistency. Using a tablespoon or metal scoop, drop 1″ apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
Allow to cool completely before handling. Will harden as they cool.
Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Jewsih victory over the Greeks in 165 BCE.
A favorite story is the Miracle of the Oil. The Jews went to reclaim and restore the Temple in Jerusalem after it had been defiled and left in ruins by the Greeks. There was only enough oil left to rekindle the candelabra that was to burn throughout the night each and every night. It would be several days before more oil be be procured and prepared. By virtue of a Miracle, the oil burned for 8 days and nights, until more oil was available.
To commemorate the Miracle, we prepare foods cooked in oil for the holiday of Hanukkah. Favorites are latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (filled donuts), and in our family, burmuelos (fried dough).
Growing up, I had never had latkes. Our Hannukah treat was always burmuelos – light, fried dough pillows bathed in a light, sweet syrup that is absolutely devine!
Made from a yeast dough, it takes some time for the dough to rise and be ready to fry. My mom will make the dough ahead of time and after dinner, drop the dough by spoonfuls into hot oil, watch them puff and turn a golden brown as she prepares the honey syrup. Once the burmuelos are ready, she will bathe them in syrup and we’ll eat them, warm and fresh! Divine, indeed!
Below is the recipe. Give them a try…..and enjoy!
My Mom uses the recipe from the cookbook,
The Sephardic Cooks – Come Con Gana
compiled by the Sisterhood of Congregation Or Ve Shalom in Atlanta, GA.
1 tsp yeast
1/2 C and 1 1/2 C warm water
pinch of salt
3 C flour
1 egg
oil (for frying)
Soften yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. In mixing bowl add dry ingredients. Add yeast mixture, egg and remaining warm water. MIx well. Allow to rise in covered bowl in warm place for 2 hours.
Fill a quart pot with 3 inches of cooking oil. Allow to get very hot.
Drop a teaspoon of soft dough into the hot oil.
Remove with slotted spoon when golden brown. Bathe in syrup.
Syrup
1 C sugar
3 Tblsps honey
1/2 C water
Boil together until sticky. Pour over burmuelos.
A wonderful message about the Miracle of Hanukkah shared by Craig Taubman:
“The miracle of Hanukka is not that the oil burned for 8 days. The true miracle? That someone was inspired to light the light in the first place!”
Tomorrow is a cooking day…..and tomorrow night marks the first night of Passover – the first Seder. We’re all busy preparing our homes, shopping, and preparing for the holiday. I thank you for allowing me to share one last message before we begin the Festival.
This is a time for gathering together. We read the Haggadah and tell the story of our delivery as a people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the land of Israel. It is a cornerstone of our being a people. So central is the journey from slavery to freedom, from oppression to self-reliance, that we retell this story each year. We can only appreciate our freedom if we remember our enslavement. We can only appreciate our wholeness of we remember our brokenness. We can only appreciate our own land of Israel, a home for all the Jewish people, if we recall our desperation and desolation when we had nowhere else to turn.
So – we tell the story, year after year, from generation to generation. And with the telling, we serve our favorite foods. Again, passing from one generation to the next our savory dishes, favorite recipes, each with a special name, with special textures and flavors and all with their own memories. These are the stories – and the foods, that bind us together as a people and keep us connected as a family. How very strong is the bond that stories – and food – provides!
Our family Passover seder this year will bring together a big group – mashala!- all somehow connected to my grandparents, of blessed memory, Isaac (Hacco) Hasson and Sarota Benveniste Hasson. Both were born on the Island of Rhodes (at the time part of the Ottoman empire, Turkey), at the end of the 19th century. Could they ever had imagined that over a hundred years later, their children, grandchildren, down to their great great great grandchildren would still be connected, gathering together (in person and via Facebook) to remember their names, remember their stories, and together carry on the traditions that they, too, brought forth from the generations before them! How wonderful that is!
Our Seder will include readings, stories and songs in English, Hebrew and Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish of our Sephardic family. The foods will be leaven free with flavors and names related to our Turkish, Spanish, Mediterranean roots.
We hope the recipes, stories and links we’ve shared with each other help to entice, and enrich our experiences and strengthen our bonds.
May you enjoy your time together with family and friends; may you tell the story of our people and the lessons of our journey. May you tell stories and remember those of our families who are no longer with us physically, so their memories stay alive in our hearts and those of our children and their lives continue to bless us. May we keep the traditions of our ancestors and create new ones with our children. May our gatherings bring blessings – and may our hands, the hands that prepare these foods that nourish our souls and keep our traditions alive, always be blessed.
Pesah Alegre!
~ Bendichas Manos
One of our family favorites is Sevollas Reinados, stuffed onions. Savory and delicious, with a simple substitution, it can be Pesah friendly, and always appreciated as part of a holiday meal. These are made with ground beef (although I prepare it with ground chicken which makes it a bit lighter, and my family prefers the taste.) Another item that can be made ahead and frozen. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
Approx 12 smaller sized onions
1 C matzah meal
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
S & P to taste
‘Handful’ of chopped parsley – I recommend 3/4 C (you can substitute or mix in cilantro for a punch)
1 beat egg and 1 C matzah flour or matzah meal to use to coat top of each before browning
Sauce:
I C tomato sauce
1 C water
1 tsp sugar
Cut onions in half lengthwise.
Separate outer layers in double thickness. (Save inner pieces)
Combine ground beef, egg, parsley, and chopped onion (from inner core saved when separating sections.) (You knew we’d use them sonewhere!). Add matzah meal.
Fill onion shells with this mixture
Dip meat side into matzah flour or matzah meal then into beaten egg before placing into frying pan with heated oil to brown.
After browning, place meat side up in casserole pan in which bottom has been covered with remaining sliced and chopped onions.
Cover with sauce made of tomato sauce, water and a tsp of sugar. Cover casserole and bake in oven at 300 degrees for 1 hour.
This is one of many stuffed vegetable dishes we frequently prepare – stuffing tomatoes, zucchinis, small eggplants, bell peppers, cabbage leaves. During the year, instead of matzah meal we often add bread crumbs or softened slices of bread for a binder – some use potato flakes (I like to use Panko). Often, a ‘grainiko’ (a small grain – a handful) of rice is added to the meat mixture. { I would make a heartier sauce – tomato sauce, lemon juice, water, garlic, S & P – and simmer it while I prepare my vegetables. Then pour it over the vegetables. That would make much more ‘caldo’ (sauce) when the stuffed vegetables are served with rice and the sauce spooned over the rice – but that’s for another time during the year!}
So many dishes to prepare for the week! My mom has already started! There is megina(Meat and matzah quajado), a delicious new chicken to try from Rachel Sheff (SEC Food Group on Facebook ) Keftes de prassa (Leek patties), Bamya (okra), my cousin Sarita will make our family’s Haroset – then there’s the desserts – marochinos(almond macaroons), mustachudos (nut confections), ashuplados (meringue clouds)…… wow!
Some of the best memories are made while preparing and cooking for the holidays. Spend time with your families. Remember and reflect on holidays past – tell stories; remember relatives. L’dor v’dor. This is how we keep traditions fresh – how we keep memories alive.
Which reminds me – watch the movie ‘Coco,’ the new Pixar/Disney film. Beautiful lessons on family, traditions, memory. Nice to share other’s cultural traditions – nice to know the similarities we share – the importance of family and memory. Beautiful film. Perfect season to share it.
Busy time in the kitchen. We’ll share more in the days to come. Looking forward to hearing of your menus, your traditions and your memories.
Have you ever experienced being transported to a different place when you hear a specific song or a specific kind of music? Maybe you remember who you were with or where you were when you hear a old favorite. Or a song can remind you of a feeling you had or an experience you were going through when you heard it and it had touched you. There is memory in music. Music can, and often does, have a transformative effect on us. All types and kinds of music.
I think this is one of the reasons that Sacred Music, Liturgical Music is so meaningful to so many. It touches our soul. It reminds us of times shared with our families when we were young – it reminds of places we might have grown up in that we now miss. It brings up a longing. Sometimes it touches a places in our ethnic soul that we don’t even realize. A place within us that we might not even remember. But our soul remembers. That is the magic of music.
So it was on Friday evening, January 5, 2018 when Cantor Jackie Rafii brought Asher Shasho Levy, Jamie Papish and Rabbi Jay Shasho Levy to share the bimah with her for a Shabbat Service in the Sephardic tradition. The melodies, the chanting, the sounds absolutely touched my soul and transported me to an altogether different place and time. I was entranced and enriched. And from the reactions of those around me, the majority of others felt the same. A spiritual awakening of the senses.
If you go to this link: STS Live Stream Services and SELECT the Friday Night Shabbat Service 01/05/2018 you can hear the beautiful music of Cantor Jackie Rafii, Asher Shasho Levy, Jamie Papish and Rabbi Jay Shasho Levy. It was truly something special. (I’m listening as I type….aman, aman! It’s a treat!) Shomrei Torah Synagogue is blessed to have Cantor Jackie Rafii join Rabbi Richard Camras Camras and Cantor Ron Snow, all who are willing to share their bimah and always enhance our meaningful community experiences.
Aiwa!
During the service I had the opportunity to share some comments on growing up Sephardic. I want to share them with you here:
“Being Sephardic…..at the youngest age, who knew any different?
Everyone in my world was Sephardic, our families having come from the same small community in Rhodes, an island in the Mediterranean….my family, our closest circle of friends, were made up of cousins…..second cousins, third cousins….cousins of cousin’s. (We were a pretty insular group.)
We ate the same foods at our grandmother’s houses or community gatherings…..boyos, burekas, sweets like biscochos, ashuplados….We were born and grew up in America so we knew American foods, too. But for family gatherings…..keftes, avicas con arroz, fasulia….that was our ‘soul food.’
The language of our grandparents, our parents and the community was Ladino, a Judeo-Spanish that had been part of our family since living in Spain, through the expulsion in 1492, moving to the Ottoman lands, my family, as I said, to Rhodes, ….Turkish when my grandparents left, then Italian….now Greek. The Spanish became intertwined with phrases in Turkish, Hebrew and Arabic.
Ours was a strong Jewish tradition – a proud tradition. It wasn’t until I started school that I really understood that not everyone who was Jewish shared the same Jewish tradition as we did. In fact…..once I left the confines of the family, it seemed that ‘most’ of the Jews that I met ‘out there’ shared a Jewish tradition that was quite different than ours.
Growing up, it was a rare occasion when my parents and I would visit a delicatessen in Leimert Park, Newman’s, and have a bagel with lox and cream cheese. “Exotic.” I was an adult before I indulged in the ‘delicacies’ of gefilte fish, kugel or bobka! The Ashkenazi world out there….a whole different ball game. But it was the dominant expression of what was Jewish in America.
As a youngster, it was hard to know exactly where to fit in. We weren’t Yiddish, bagel and latke Jews. And although our families spoke Ladino, we didn’t fit the LATINO profile.
The 1970’s were a time of Ethnic Pride. On college campuses all over the country, people were finding their roots….Black Power, Pan African Studies, Mexican-American History…..even Jewish Studies found its way onto campuses.
And onto the scene came the American Sephardi Federation, a grassroots, groundbreaking, amalgamation of distinct, unique, Jewish, cultural communities that traced their recent roots to the Mediterranean and Levant.
The Sephardim. Finally……a place I fit in!!!!!
In 1973 we brought together the first group of young people from across the country….from communities representing Rhodes, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Syria, Iraq, Iran, India…..all under the banner of the ASF. We met locally, nationally, internationally. They were Us.
How fun it was to gather in Atlanta, Georgia at that first Convention and meet other young people…..from New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle. Maybe different regional accents….but they knew about boyos and burekas, too! …. wow!
Then we met others…..who prayed with the same Hebrew accent as we did, same melodies…..but they didn’t speak Ladino. They spoke a Judeo-Arabic.
But some of the words and phrases were similar or the same. Their families were from Morocco, Syria.
Then there were the Iraqis….some who had gone to Iran, some to Bombay. Their language was all together different….but we all prayed the same. Together….we had things in common. Our world views, not totally….but more similar. Our foods, more similar.
We came back to our homes and our cultural pride exploded. We began planning and executing programs all over the city. The Jews of Rhodes. The Jews of Morocco. The Jews of Syria. Each had a night of their cultural history, music and foods. Young adults came out of the woodwork to claim their place in their story. The general Sephardic community followed suit. It was a great cultural awakening. We held conventions up and down the coasts, groups flying from Los Angeles to Seattle. The next year we had 500 teens from across the country fly to Los Angeles to express their Sephardic pride.
Around this time, one of the local Rabbis wanted to meet with me. I finally made some time and was excited to tell him about all our successes in gathering so many young people to celebrate their cultural heritage. ‘But what about classes on Torah, and classes about Shabbat?,’ He asked. ‘No, you don’t understand,’ I told him. ‘They’re not coming for that. They’re coming to connect to their cultural heritage. To find where THEY fit in to the Jewish story. They want boyos and borekas from Rhodes. They want the sights and sounds of Aleppo. The flavors of Fez. You don’t understand, Rabbi.’ ‘No,’ he said. ‘YOU don’t understand. You can’t be Sephardic if you’re not Jewish ’.
It took me a few years to really internalize and get his message. But I got it. And he was right.
There’s more to our heritage than just our cultural traditions….. and truthfully. That goes for all of us, whatever our cultural background
######
So let’s jump ahead a few years…..here we are. We’ve grown past our college years. Many of us have married. Some…..well, some, like myself, a Sephardia, married, an Ashkenazi ….(it happens) an INTERMARRIAGE!
We have two boys, Askefards, we call them. The best of both traditions.
Traditions.
Traditions might vary.
But we all follow the same Torah.
When it came time to look for a neighborhood synagogue, one our children could grow up in – and learn the basics of Judaism – CBK became the obvious choice for us in the West Valley. CBK morphed into STS. And it became our home. Our family has grown up here at Shomrei Torah Synagogue. And our family, while holding tight to many Sephardic traditions during holidays and life cycle events, has incorporated many new traditions that we’ve learned from our STS family and friends.
We live, what we like to call, a new American Judaism….
The best of our cultural traditions, rich and textured as they are, sprinkled with traditions of the place where we live. Within the framework of the Torah – which we all share.”
#####
The service was followed by lovely Shabbat dinner and delicious Sephardic desserts enjoyed by 225 guests, who lingered and enjoyed each others company. The desserts were lovingly gifted and prepared by a group of volunteers, led by master baker Kaye Israel. The bakers included Marilyn Conrad, Sharlene Blau, Judy Yaniv Goldberg, Sandi Gilbert, Cantor Jackie Raffi, Maxine Schwartz, me (Marcia Weingarten) and the invaluable help and support of Sue Moss. Pictures of the desserts and the recipes are included:
Biscochos
Baklava
Ashuplados
Maruchinos
Biscochs, Baklava, Marochinos, Mustachudos, Marochinos …. delightful treats for all!
Assorted Desserts for each tables
Recipes for Desserts Prepared for Sephardic Shabbat at Shomrei Torah Synagogue January 5, 2018
BISCOCHOS
Biscochos de Huevo
Biscochos are often called tea biscuits. We think of them as a “biscotti”, a crunchy treat! Biscochos are a bit sweet and are wonderful with your morning coffee (could be afternoon or evening coffee or tea or even milk, for that matter!!)
Ingredients for My Mom’s Biscochos
1 C eggs
1 C sugar
3/4 C oil
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
5 – 7 C flour
Topping:
1 egg + 1 drop of water, beaten well
sesame seeds
(alternative to sesame seeds: cinnamon and sugar or “sprinkles”)
These are my mom’s directions:
With electric mixer, beat eggs and oil in a mixing bowl. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until well blended. Add flour and baking powder gradually, knead into a medium dough until no longer sticky.
Place onto floured work area and finish kneading dough with additional flour as needed. Dough should not be sticky as long as you can handle it without it sticking to your hands.
Take walnut-sized pieces and roll down on table with palms of hands into a rope 5 inches long and only 1/2 inch thick.
Press down with fingers to create channel;
Fold rope over and cut slits into the edge.
Join into a bracelet shape. Brush egg on top side.
Dip top side into chosen topping ( sesame, cinnamon sugar or sprinkles):
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from pan. Allow to cool.
BAKLAVA
Baklava is a sweet pastry made of layers of Filo dough filled with chopped nuts and bathed in a sweet syrup. It is labeled as a Turkish, Greek or any of a variety of Middle Eastern delicacy. Our families made it on the Island of Rhodes, so we claim it as our own.
There are many variation in making Baklava. Different communities feature different nut mixtures and dIfferent configurations when baking. My mom makes a rolled variety. Here is her recipe:
Kaye Hasson Israel makes Baklava
ingredients:
1 Lb prepared FIlo Dough
5 Cups almonds, ground (or other nuts of your choosing)
1 C Sugar
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 C oil in a small bowl.
1/2 C Tasted Sesame Seeds (optional)
Prepare a mixture using ground nuts, sugar, cinnamon and gloves. Set aside.
Open package of Filo. Keep moist and usable by placing a moist cloth over the waxed paper covered batch of Filo that you are not currently using ( otherwise, Filo has a tendency to dry out).
Place one layer of Filo on your work surface. Brush with oil. Place a second layer of Filo directly on top. Brush second layer with oil.
Sprinkle nut mixture in a thin, even layer on brushed Filo. Top with one additional sheet of Filo. Brush with oil.
Begin to roll Filo tightly. Slice rolled Filo log at a diagonal. Cut approximately 1 inch in length. Place cut pieces on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes (Since ovens vary, watch as it bakes…when it begins to take on color, you can remove from the oven)
Allow to cool.
In the meantime, prepare syrup.
Syrup ingredients:
1 1/2 C Honey
1 1/2 C Sugar
1 C Water
Combine all ingredients. Boil on stove. Cook until it becomes “sticky” (if you have a cooled bit between your fingers, it should form “strings”)
When syrup is ready, pour over tray of baked Baklava. Allow syrup to soak in.
For serving, “soaked” piece of Baklava can be placed in size-to-fit paper Bake Cups (often called Cupcake liners) and placed on a serving platter.
Divine!!!!!
Baklava
MAROCHINOS
Marochinos are an almond macaroon type of cookie. They are an excellent parev dessert for any time of the year, and a favorite for Passover. Make a batch and enjoy them!!
Ingredients:
2 C blanched almonds
1 C sugar
2 eggs…whites only
Grind blanched almonds to near a fine consistancy. Mix in a bowl with sugar.
Add egg whites and add almonds and sugar. (do NOT beat egg whites prior to adding. This will flatten the cookies during baking) Mix until biscuit-dough consistency. Using a tablespoon or metal scoop, drop 1″ apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
Allow to cool completely before handling. Will harden as they cool.
ASHUPLADOS
Growing up, we knew it was a very special occasion when Grandma made Ashuplados……meringue clouds! Sweet….light as a feather, a light shell on the outside. Texture, sweetness……simply….divine!!! They look beautiful on a sweet table, and delight young and more mature and sophisticated palettes alike! These are one of my mom’s signature delicacies. Give them a try! And let us know how they turn out!! (They are great to add to your Passover collection!)
Kaye (Hasson) Israel’s Ashuplados
Ingredients:
1 ¾ Cup sugar
6 eggs – (you will use the whites ONLY)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Separate eggs. Use whites ONLY.
Place in a COMPLETELY dry mixing bowl. (moisture will adversely affect the creating of the meringue).
Using an electric stand mixer, begin mixing the egg whites and gradually add the sugar. Continuing beating on high for approximately 20 minutes. Mixing will be done when the mixture stands in very stiff peaks.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. ( there was a time when brown paper bags were cut and used to line these pans to ensure a very dry surface. However, parchment seems a more sanitary alternative available these days!!
Spoon mounds of the meringue onto the lined cookie sheets.
Ashuplados can be made as large or small as you wish.
My mom used heaping tablespoons to create these clouds.
We sprinkle nonpareils on top for a festive look.
Before putting them in the oven, TURN HEAT DOWN to 225 degrees.
Bake for one hour.
Ashuplados can be made one day before serving. They are best enjoyed for a day or two after preparation. By the third or fourth day they become dry and are not as good as when first prepared.
(* however, we have learned over the past few years that ashuplados freeze beautifully! Package delicately and freeze within the first day they are made).
Yield: approximately 48 ashuplados
MUSTACHUDOS
In our home, we have always used a variety of nuts in baking. (Moustachudos are the cookies that were sprinkled with powdered sugar). The cloves give them a special “kick”. These treats can be made in advance and freeze well. (Another one that can be added to your Passover collection).
Ingredients for Moustachudos:
1 1/2 C pecans or walnuts, coarsely ground
1 1/2 C almonds, coarsely ground
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 egg
water – 1/2 eggshell full
Coarsely grind all nuts.
Add other ingredients including 1/2 eggshell filled with water. (folks, that’s how it’s done!!)
Shape into triangle or ball shapes about 1″ in diameter.
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 5 or 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown.
Allow to cool and harden before removing from pan. Sprinkle with confectioners’ (powered) sugar.
It was a joyfully wonderful Shabbat experience. The music was soul stirring! The Sephardic delicacies were a delight to share. Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills, CA is a wonderful community. If you are ever in the area, we invite you to visit, If you live in the are, come by. We would love to have you join us. Visit us at http://www.stsonline.org.
As always, Bendichas Manos. May your hands always be blessed.
My cousin is getting married this weekend. Actually, it’s my cousin’s grandson.
This is the eldest grandson of my mom’s eldest nephew – and my mother and her nephew grew up practically as siblings. We’re a close knit group. We try and keep our relationships strong and keep our traditions alive.
With the wedding this weekend, the cousins got together and made bombonieres, the favors given to each guest, made of Jordan almonds and foil-wrapped chocolate kisses, all wrapped together in tulle, with a ribbon tying it together. These are traditions likely woven into our customs from our Greek and Italian neighbors. The almonds are bitter on the inside with sweet coating on the outside. There are five almonds in the package – an indivisible number. So should be their life. Through the ups and downs, the bitter and sweet – they will face life together, and remain united and as one. And the number five corresponds to five blessings the guests wish for the new couple – health, happiness, children, financial success and long life. The chocolate kisses… I think they looked pretty in the mix, and added an extra touch of sweetness! All are gathered together in a circle of tulle, tied with a ribbon that is imprinted with the names of the bride and the groom and either the date of their wedding or a special saying for them. A nice keepsake of the day.
Yesterday, my mom made masapan (Marzipan) for the wedding, another tradition. “If my mother or my sister were here, they would make it. As long as I’m able, I’ll make it, so we can carry on the tradition. You girls learn to make it for the next generation.”
As we’ve shared on this blog before, ‘masapan’……marzipan….is that delicious sweet that our mothers lovingly make for engagements, weddings, a brit mila or a Bar (and today even a Bat) Mitzvah. Basically a homemade almond confection made with ground almonds and sugar, marzipan traces it’s origin to …..well….that depends. Some say the Persian empire, introduced to Europe by the Turks; others claim the origin to be Spain. In any case, it got to us, was a delicacy on our beloved Island of Rhodes, and our grandmothers brought it here with them when they came to these shores.
While some from Eastern Europe talk of marzipan being colored and fashioned into miniature, fruit-like shapes, our variation is kept in it’s white, pure state, made into a simple design.
My mother, Kaye Hasson Israel, uses a recipe shared with her by Rebecca Levy. Here is the recipe and photos. This recipe makes about 125 pieces of masapan.
6 C almonds
3 C sugar
4 C water
Start with raw almonds. To blanche, bring a pot of water to a boil. ( enough water to cover the almonds). When water boils, add almonds and leave them in for 4 to 5 minutes (until skin is loose).
Rinse in a colander with cold water. Remove the skins from the almonds and place almonds into a bowl of cold water ( to prevent discoloration).
Take a clean towel and dry almonds thoroughly.
Put almonds into food processor with blade.
Grind to a fine texture.
In the meantime, mix sugar and water and heat over medium/high flame. Make sure sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. This is to make a sticky syrup. Stir and watch carefully so it does not discolor or burn.
Test for correct stickiness by removing spoon from pot, allow it to cool a bit, placing a drop on your fingers and noting a ‘thread’ of sugar when pressing then pulling apart finger and thumb.
At this point, lower the heat and add ground almonds. Thoroughly blend and constantly stir mixture. Cook and stir masapan until it reaches a dough-like consistency.(continuously stir over medium heat…..seriously….. continuously stir. It can easily burn if not consistently stirred. A good opportunity to develop those arm muscles!!) ( it will cleanly leave the sides and bottom of the pan when ready). Remove from heat and allow to thoroughly cool.
Once cooled, knead on your rolling surface to create a smooth dough. Pinch off small portions and roll into a long strip. (Perhaps cut into 10 – 12 portions before rolling).
Keep a bowl of water handy. Dampen your rolling surface and hands, as it will make it easier to roll out. Cut at an angle into diamond shaped pieces.
Our tradition has been to top with a decorative silver ball ( dragees ). These are for decoration and not to be consumed. (although for this wedding, we topped them with decorative gold balls)
For engagements, our tradition has been to make a “mano” (hand) fashioned out of masapan, with silver dragees across the ring finger. This is fashioned on a tray, surrounded by cut pieces of masapan, jordan almonds and often, a gold leafed piece of ‘aruda’ ( the rue plant).
Like all our delicacies, masapan takes a bit of practice. And the results are divine!
Always a blessing to have these special traditional treats made by loving hands for the special occasions in our lives. And l’dor v’dor. May we all continue the traditions for our children and our children’s children.
Bendichas manos! As with the love in our hearts, may our hands continue to be blessed!
Growing up, we knew it was a very special occasion when Grandma made Ashuplados……meringue clouds! Sweet….light as a feather, a light shell on the outside. Texture, sweetness……simply….divine!!! They look beautiful on a sweet table, and delight young and more mature and sophisticated palettes alike! These are one of my mom’s signature delicacies. Give them a try! And let us know how they turn out!! (They are great to add to your Passover collection!)
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