THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, December 14, 1984 85 t • A• 4 9 • • the perfect gift. • • a subscription to will have plenty of time to chill. Put the sugar, water, honey, lemon juice, and cinnamon (if used) into a 2-quart (or similar) saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir- ring only until the sugar dis- solves. Reduce the heat slightly, and briskly boil the syrup, un- covered and undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat, and let it cool to room temperature; then chill it in the refrigerator. For the dough, put the flour, baking powder and salt, into a medium-sized bowl, and cut in the butter with your fingers or a pas- try blender until the mixture looks like fine meal. Add the milk and egg, and mix to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, coat it very lightly with flour, and knead it for about 5 to 10 minutes or until very smooth and pliable. Wrap it in plastic, and let it rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour. On a very lightly floured sur- face, roll out the dough to a neat 9-inch square about 1/4-inch thick. Use a pastry wheel or sharp knife to divide the square into three 3- by 9-inch sections. Then cut each section crosswise into nine-1-inch strips, for a total of 27 strips, each measuring 1 by 3 inches. For best results, mark the dough with the edge of a ruler before cutting. For each pastry, lengthwise cut one of the strips into three narrow "tails" which are joined together at the top. Braid the tails com- pactly, and pinch the ends to- gether very tightly so the braid will not unravel during frying. Put enough oil in a large sauce- pan (or a wok) so that it is about 11/2 inches deep. Heat the oil until it is very hot, about 375 degrees. Gently drop a few of the braids into the oil so they are not too crowded; they will quickly puff up. Fry them about 2 minute on each side or until they are browned and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil, and drain them briefly on paper toweling (or on the rack that attaches to some woks). Immediately drop them into the cooled syrup. Use a differ- ent spoon or tongs (so the syrup will not get oily) to turn the koek- sisters in the syrup so they are completely coated; then quickly lift them up, and let the excess syrup drain off. Put the koeksis- ters on a large plate. Repeat the frying and dipping process until all the dough has been used. The finished koeksisters can be stored for several days in a loosely covered container at room tem- perature. Makes 27 koeksisters. schmaltz spread over it. The use of dry yeast and milk powder in this recipe is my own adaptation to make malai easier for modern-day cooks. Romanians usually use cakes of compressed yeast, which they crumble into the batter after the hot liquid has been added. 2% cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal ? /4 cup enriched all-purpose or unbleached white flour % cup instant nonfat dry milk powder 1 packet (about 2 tsps.) active dry yeast 3 tbsps. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups hot (120-130-degrees F.) water 2 large eggs, beaten 1 cup small curd cottage cheese TO SERVE (optional) Butter or sour cream MALAI (Romanian Cornbread) Romanians are great fans of cornmeal, which they usually cook into mamaliga, a solid cake of very thick cornmeal mush. However, Romanian Jews also enjoy another dish made with cornmeal: malai. The following version of malai is made with cheese, making it perfect for Chanukah. It tastes best right out of the oven, each piece split open and slathered with butter or spread with sour cream. Sometimes, a pareve or meat version of malai is made with water or broth instead of milk, and no cheese. At Chanukah time, this type may be served with In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, milk powder, yeast, sugar and salt. Slowly add the water, while stirring, to pro- duce a thick batter. cover the bowl loosely, and let the batter rise for 30 minutes. Stir in the eggs and cottage cheese. Pour the batter into a well-buttered or nonstick spray-coated 9-inch square pan. Bake the malai in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes or until it has risen and is quite firm. Cut it into large squares, and serve hot. If desired, cut each piece in half horizontally, and top with butter or sour cream. Makes about 9 servings. THE JEWISH NEWS 17515 W. 9 Mile Rd. Suite 865 Southfield, Mich. 48075-4491 I ORDER TODAY I-- Please send gift subscription to: NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP FROM OCCASION ❑ $18 enclosed Copyright 1984, Gloria Kaufer Greene Sephardi Chanukah treats On Chaukah, Sephardic Jews, those Jews who trace their ances- try to Spanish-speaking and Arab countries, often serve delicacies representative of their native lands, rather than the traditional latkes. ARTICHOKES SEPHARDIC STYLE 8 medium artichokes 1 lemon 4 cloves garlic, very finely minced 1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes 1/2 cup chopped parsley (packed) 2 tbsps. kosher salt Oil for deep frying 1/2 cup red wine vinegar Cut off stems flush with each artichoke and trim off coarse outer leaves. With sharp knife slice off about 1 inch of top of each artichoke and, using scissors, snip prickly points off leaves. Rub cut areas with half the lemon. Then juice lemon. Bring kettle of salted water to boil. Add lemon juice and ar- tichokes. When water returns to boil, cover and cook over medium heat 20 to 25 minutes, until ar- tichokes are tender and a leaf can be removed easily. Drain ar- tichokes upside down until cool. Combine garlic, hot pepper, parsley and salt. When artichokes have cooled remove fuzzy choke and center leaves from each by gently spreading center of artichoke open and pulling out choke or scooping it out with spoon. Fill each artichoke with parsley mixture, tucking it between the leaves and in center. Set aside or refrigerate until 1/2 hour before serving. Heat oil for deep frying to depth of 2 or 3 inches in deep saucepan, deep fryer or wok. When oil has reached 375 degrees fry ar- tichokes for 30 seconds each, until leaves begin to curl. Drain briefly on paper towels. Sprinkle each with tablespoon of red wine vinegar and serve. Yield: 8 servings. ZALABLA OR BIMUELOS (CHANUKAH FRITTERS) 1 package dry yeast Pinch of sugar 11/2 cups warm water (110 de- grees) approximately 3 cups flour pinch of salt 1 /2 cup milk (see note) 1 egg Oil for deep frying Syrup (see recipe) 1 /3 cup confectioners' sugar 1 tsp cinnamon Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup of warm water. Set aside in warm place until dou- bled, about 10 minutes. Place flour and salt in food processor. Pour in yeast mixture, milk and 1 cup of warm water. Process for just a few seconds. Add egg and process few seconds more.. Continue to process, using on= and-off (pulse) mechanism until flour has been completely incor- porated and mixture is smooth. It should be gooey mass thicker than pancake batter and about consis- tency of muffin batter. If it is too thick, add a little water, table- spoon at a time. Transfer batter to bowl, cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and set in warm place until dou- bled, about 45 minutes. Heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees in a deep fryer, saucepan or wok. Using teaspoon that has been dipped into cold water, drop small mounds of batter into hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Do not crowd fritters in pan. As they are finished, transfer to absorbant paper to drain. Pile finished fritters on platter while still warm. Pour syrup over them and sift confectioners' sugar mixed with cinnamon on top, or serve just dusted with sugar- cinnamon mixture. Serve at once. Your window lo the world order a subscription or gift subscription today! 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 The Jewish News 17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite 865 Southfield, Mich. 48075-4491 Gentlemen: Please send a (gift) subscription: NAME ADDRESS CITY From: If gift state occasion $18 enclosed STATE ZIP