Made
The date cookies served during holidays and for celebrations here are called “ma’mouls”. The name means “made.” Our Arab friends are so good at making all kinds of things by hand. When a dear local friend threw a surprise birthday party recently, we did typical celebration things like decorating our hands with henna, giggling and telling stories and munching on her delicious home made ma’mouls. I can’t replicate her ma’mouls, but I’ll include a recipe. And some photos of celebratory and “made” things around here, inspired by our local friends. Also, a Happy Mother’s Day to our mamas and grandma who are so good at all things “made.”
Ma’mouls
(note: recipe tweaked and fiddled with – you can do the same if you need to)Ingredients:
-about 1 cup date paste (we just buy date paste but I think you can make it in the food processor with pitted dates, warm water and maybe a little cardamom)
– 2 cups flour
– 1/2 cup sugar or powdered sugar
– 1 cup butter, chilled and sliced
– 8 tsp rose water
– 4-8 Tbs water
1. Combine the butter with the flour and sugar with a pastry blender or fork until mixture looks course and crumbly.
2. Combine water and rose water and add to mixture 1 Tbs at a time until it can be formed into a nice ball of dough. Chill dough for about 1/2 hour.
3. Form about 1″ balls of dough and make a hole in each ball. Insert small amount of date paste and close the dough ball around it to form a little ball again.
4. Place filled dough balls on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Make some coffee while they cool and enjoy with sweet toddler son (no coffee for him, ahem), handsome husband and local friends in the days to come.
Ma'mouls might be served with tea or strong Turkish coffee.
Caleb, like his Omi, entirely approves of ma'mouls.
One way to make clothes wearable in our town.
Henna
Talkin' shop with our local dairy shop owner = ideas.
We often left hot cross buns on neighbors' door steps on Easter growing up. We had fun keeping the tradition with our neighbors here this year.
Typical set-up when local friends come to visit. 1 or 2 coffees, tea with mint (if it is Summer) sweets and juice.