Ma’amoul Mad Pistachio with Ashta (Photos courtesy https://amiraspantry.com/maamoul-mad-pistachio-with-ashta-recipe/)

Ma’amoul Mad Pistachio with Ashta

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The talented recipe developer and photographer at Amira’s Pantry writes, “I was born and raised in Egypt, and our family stayed part of the summer in the Gulf area where my father worked. At an early age, I made close friends from Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Morocco, Libya, India, Pakistan, you name the country. Of course, these friendships and contacts did not come without exposure to lots of outstanding food and cooking experiences. In Egypt alone our style of cooking and recipes are often influenced by other cuisines and cultures. Turkish, Italian, French and Greek cuisines have many recipes in common with Egyptian cuisine. In fact, many of my friends argue to this day about the origins of our favorite family dishes.”

“Here is one of the best semolina flour recipes I’ve ever made. A delicious Lebanese treat with a new ashta recipe,” she adds.

The recipe in full is below, as shared by the Art of Armenian & Middle Eastern Cooking on Facebook.

Ingredients:

2 cups farina flour

1 cup semolina flour

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1 teaspoon dry yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup butter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons rose water

3 tablespoons orange blossom water

 

For the ashta filling:

3 cups water

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons orange blossom water

 

Garnish:

Finely ground pistachios (about 1 cup)

 

Preparation:

In a deep bowl, combine first five ingredients mixing with your hands to cover all the granules with the butter. Add the rose water and orange blossom water and mix. Cover and let the dish rest for an hour.

Meanwhile prepare the filling; in a deep pot over medium heat boil 2 1/2 cups of water. Add the condensed milk and stir to combine. In a separate bowl add the starch to the remaining 1/2 cup of water stirring vigorously with a whisk. Pour the starch mixture to the pot and stir with the whisk until it is smooth and no visible lumps are forming. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes until it thickens — this happens quickly.

Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 325°F for dark baking pans and 350°F for glass pans. Prepare a 9×9-inch pan by brushing it with some butter on the sides and bottom. Press half of the semolina mixture on the bottom in a uniform thick layer. Pour over the ashta filling and level the surface.

Add the remaining semolina mixture and gently press with your hands. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the dish browns nicely. Take the dish out of the oven and sprinkle ground pistachios on top. Let the dish cool completely before cutting and serving. Serve with a simple syrup on the side.

 

For the syrup:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups water

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon lime juice

 

For flavoring the syrup:

1 tablespoon orange blossom water OR

1 tablespoon rose water OR

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preparation:

In a saucepan over medium-high heat add sugar, water, honey and your choice of flavors, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil then add the lemon juice. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn heat off and let the syrup cool completely to room temperature.

Note:

 

* If you left your ashta too long and it became too thick to pour just scoop it over the mixture, wet your hands with cold water and gently press against the semolina layer to smooth. Garnishing is optional but highly recommended.

For this recipe, go to: https://amiraspantry.com

For more recipes, see: https://amiraspantry.com/all-recipes/

Amira Is a blogger, recipe developer and photographer

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