I have to admit I haven’t been cooking as much as usual for
the past week, and for that I have no excuse. But then we learned that our
daughter, Mandy, would be here on a work-related trip, so Doug and I got busy
in the kitchen. After all, we had to feed our one-and-only!
I baked a batch of my mother-in-law’s lavash – one of Mandy’s favorites, and Doug made 2 pots of dolma – meat and rice-stuffed peppers in one pot; the same stuffing wrapped in grape leaves in the other. Two more of Mandy’s favorites.
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| Sylvia Kalajian’s Lavash |
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| Grape leaves stuffed with ground turkey and rice |
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| Peppers stuffed with the same mixture as the grape leaves above. |
A dessert seemed appropriate, so I made one I hadn’t prepared before, a healthier version of Nammoura, a Lebanese cake made from semolina soaked in a simple syrup flavored with rose water, and decorated with almonds, or in my case – pistachios. (See recipe below.)
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| Nammoura, a healthier version than the original, ready to serve. |
the kitchen. Thanks, Mandy, for providing us with this special occasion!
www.easylebaneserecipes.com.)
– or- a combination of the two may be substituted)
Blanched almonds are more commonly used in this recipe.)
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| Semolina and the other dry ingredients mixed together; rose water and plain yogurt |
soda, and salt.
with a wooden spoon, wire whisk or an electrical hand mixer.
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| Nammoura batter |
Lightly coat an 8”x8” square pan with the vegetable oil. (I used an 8″ glass pie pan.) Pour the mixture into the pan spreading it evenly with a spatula.
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| Nammoura ready to bake |
Gently press pistachio nuts (or almonds) into the surface,
leaving space between them. (Note: Each serving piece should have one nut
in the center.)
While nammoura is baking, prepare the syrup.
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| Preparing the simple syrup |
Syrup Directions:
Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until it starts to boil and sugar
dissolves. Stir in the lemon juice. Remove saucepan from heat; set aside to
cool completely before using. Discard cinnamon stick.
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| Nammoura -hot out of the oven! |
To complete the recipe:
cooled syrup over the entire hot surface so that the syrup will be
absorbed.
Wait at least 1 hour before cutting and serving.
arrange them on a serving platter.
What a lucky child! Pix look delicious.
Thanks, Dave. It was great having her here and feeding her!
Beautiful !
Thank you, Lucine!