#semolina

[copperbadge]

Have you ever wanted to eat a dish that is 70% dairy fat by volume? Have I got the recipe for you!

Tried a recipe tonight from Portico by Leah Koenig, which is about the cuisine of the Jewish community in Rome and has yet to let me down. This is semolina gnocchi gratin, which is semolina prepared with milk, butter, Parmesan, and a couple of egg yolks, cooled until firm, then cut into discs and baked in layers with more butter and Parmesan until golden ("gnocchi" is used somewhat esoterically in this case). I had a little extra so I shaped them into kitty cats and baked them separately.

So far I've tried separate portions with pesto, teriyaki sauce, sauteed mushrooms, and a little pile of Italian beef, and it went with everything. Because it's mostly butter.

[ID: four photographs from tonight's cooking project. Top left, ingredients including whole milk, butter, cheese, semolina, and egg yolks; top right, the mixture awaiting cooling. Center, a baking dish full of golden brown discs fresh from the oven, and finally bottom, a plate with two pieces of baked semolina that have been cut out with a cat shaped cookie cutter, with one upside down to show the browning underneath.]

ETA: King Arthur Flour has the recipe available! It's the same ingredients and process as the book. And I will say I did use KAF semolina when baking it :)

[fullcravings]

Almond, Coconut & Semolina Cake

[fattributes]

Puff Pastry Gujiya Swirls

[morethansalad]

Mushroom Uttapam (Vegan)

an instant version of the fluffy, fermented golden-brown variation of dosa that is a hit for brunch, especially when paired with peanut chutney

[ma1aikat]

At the point where i’m feeling like them right now

[srnavlese]

Lesní jahůdky, chuť a vůně léta. Děti si na to radši sundaly trička.

[vegan-nom-noms]

Vegan Basbousa (Turkish Semolina Cake)

[disaster-kitchen]

Ramadan is almost over, and I wanted to make something seasonally appropriate, so. Basbousa! It's a coconut/semolina cake soaked in syrup.

The recipe I used here came from King Arthur Flour, but there are a million variations; some use less coconut (or none at all), some use orange essence or rose water in the syrup, etc. It's a very quick and easy recipe to throw together if you've got the ingredients on hand, but I'll probably try to source more semolina and dessicated coconut from a middle eastern grocer.

1 2/3 c semolina flour

1 c unsweetened, dessicated/dried coconut

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c melted butter or ghee

1c sugar

2 eggs

1c plain yogurt

2 tsp vanilla

24 whole almonds

For the syrup:

1 1/2 c water

1 1/2 c sugar

Zest of one lemon-- use a vegetable peeler to take it off the lemon in strips

Juice of half a lemon; recipe says half a teaspoon but, like...why even bother at that point. Maybe lemon extract would make more sense with that measurement. You can also use orange extract or fiori di sicilia or rose water here.

Oven to 350. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix the sugar into the melted butter. Beat in the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla.

Dust your wets: use a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Don't over mix; the batter will be pretty thick.

Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Use a knife or spatula to draw shallow lines in the batter, dividing it into 12 squares. Divide the squares diagonally into 24 triangles, and press an almond into each triangle.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

While it bakes, make the syrup: heat all the ingredients together on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently, until all the sugar is dissolved and it begins to simmer. Recipe says 4-8 minutes; I wasn't paying attention. Discard the strips of zest.

When the cake finishes baking, remove from the oven and immediately pour the syrup over it. You're going to think it's too much liquid for the cake, but I promise it isn't- pause a bit while pouring if it starts to puddle, but between the coconut and the semolina this thing can absorb a *lot*.

Let cool fully before cutting along the score marks you made previously. It's going to smell so good while it's still warm, but the texture really is better fully cooled, especially once it completely absorbs all the syrup.