Bascot bil Yansoun ( Aniseed Biscuits)

This is a very old recipe that I copied ages ago from my mum’s cookbook. Mum used to make it long time ago, I didn’t remember how it tasted, so I had to try it for myself and it was a great success! Simple and yet full of flavour, scrumptious!

Ingredients:

4 cups Flour

1 cup Sugar

¾ cup Sunflower oil

1 Egg

2 teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ cup Aniseed

A bit of water (if needed)

     Mix all ingredients together. Add a bit of water if needed to get a good dough consistency.

Take a bit of dough, roll it into a long thin rope & cut it into a 10cm length piece. Pinch both ends of each piece together into a ring. You can do any shape you prefer.

Then place the biscuits on a greased or greaseproof paper lined baking tray, leaving some space between the biscuits.

Bake in preheated oven gas mark 6 (200C/ 400F) for 15-20 mins or untill they are done. Sahtein!

Moughleh

   It is a Lebanese rice pudding made on the birth of a child and some makes it on Christmas day too. It is easy to make and full of flavour with the added spices and the garnished nuts. You might find loads of Moughleh recipes but this is Mum’s recipes and obviously it is the best one! Another reason for listing it is that my daughter loves it (without the nuts) and she will be able to find the recipe anytime she decides to make it!

Ingredients:

7 cups Water

1 cup Ground Rice

1 ½ cup Sugar

1 ½ tsp Aniseed

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 ½ tsp Caraway

Garnish:

Shredded coconuts

Pistachio (soaked overnight in water & peeled)

Almond (soaked overnight in water & peeled) or Almond Flakes
Walnuts ( soaked overnight in water & peeled)

Pine nuts

Put water, sugar & spices in a sauce pan on high heat. Bring up to the boil then reduce the heat to medium and add the ground rice. Stir continuously. The mixture will eventually become quite thick. It will take about 20-30 min.  Turn the heat off and pour in a large serving dish or individual ramekins. Leave to cool. 

Before serving, sprinkle some coconut on the moughleh, add pistachio, almond, walnuts & pine nuts.

 If you don’t like the nuts, like someone I know, try it without the garnish. It is still delicious.

Sfouf Sofor (Yellow Cake with Turmeric)

    Sfouf is a cake a little bit on the dry side. We were brought up eating with 2 different kind of Sfoufs: Sfouf bil Debs which is made with Debs el Kharoub ( Carob Molasses) (see previous blog) and Sfouf Sofor (yellow) which is made with turmeric, hence the name.

   Sfouf Sofor is simple and fragrant with a distinctive colour from turmeric.

Ingredients:

4 cups Flour

2 ¼ cup Sugar 
½ cup corn oil ( or any vegetable oil)

¾ cup Butter

1 Tbsp Turmeric

1 Tbsp Aniseed powder

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 ½ lukewarm water

1 handful of pine nuts( for decoration optional)

 

Preheat oven to gas mark 5 (350F). Mix flour, spices & baking powder.  Cut butter into small pieces and use the tips of your fingers to thoroughly incorporate into the flour and spice mix. Add oil.  Dissolve sugar in the lukewarm water. Add the water and sugar to the flour, mix and incorporate thoroughly with a spoon. The yellow colour will now come through brilliantly.

Pour in grease baking tray. With wet hands, flat the top of the sfouf. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top if you like it. I made my tray half with pine nuts & half without due to different preference in the family!

My tray size is 25cm diametre.

 Cook in medium heat oven, gaz mark 5, for 25-30 min or till you feel it is done.

Once cooled, cut it into squares

& sahtein!