Feast of hospitality
Traditional Mimouna sweets herald the end of Passover
For most Jews, Passover ends with barely a whimper. Bread and other leavened products regain the spotlight and matzos are relegated to the back of the cupboard. For Moroccan Jews, the end of Passover ushers in Mimouna, a time to celebrate. To learn more about this festival, I joined Dorit Hershko and her husband, Avi, in their sunny Fox Point kitchen on a snowy January morning. Although Dorit was born in Israel, both of her parents were born and raised in Morocco, and Dorit grew up celebrating Mimouna much as it was practiced in their community in Morocco. Her parents, she said, “…are very proud of their roots and shared their stories with us.” Although Avi is not of Moroccan ancestry, he has enthusiastically embraced all things Mimouna. He described it as “all about hospitality, a time when we open our hearts to everyone.”
Dorit’s mother grew up in Mogador (today called Essaouira), a town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. She has fond memories of her early life there. In their neighborhood, Muslims and Jews “lived side by side” and “neighbors were like family” and celebrated weddings and some holidays, including Mimouna, together.
During Mimouna, doors to Jewish homes were left open and the entire community, regardless of faith, wandered from house to house, enjoying food, beverages, music and dancing at each stop. Jews dressed in Muslim-inspired kaftans; men often in white, their heads crowned with tarbooshes (fezes), while the women’s kaftans were colorful and frequently embellished with embroidery.
Dinner was forfeited for elaborate dessert spreads accompanied by pots of nana tea, Moroccan sweetened mint tea. Although many households prepared and served dozens of varieties of sweets including marzipan, stuffed dates, dried fruit, baked goods and meringues, the culinary centerpiece was mufleta, a thin pancake eaten with butter and honey.
On the evening of the last day of Passover, as men departed for synagogue to participate in the prayer service that marked the end of the holiday, women began to ready the table for Mimouna. Mufleta production began upon the men’s return. With everyone helping, each family churned out dozens of these pancakes.
Although cooks worked quickly, and tables groaning with trays of delicacies were available to appease hungry appetites, eager guests waited impatiently for this once-a-year specialty. They waited as the dough was mixed, kneaded, left to rest, shaped and, finally, fried. As each pancake was done, it remained in the pan and a new one was laid on top of it. The entire stack was then flipped over, allowing each new addition to cook to perfection. Some cooks made a mountain of up to 20 pancakes and flipped them all at once, resulting in a stack that retained its warmth and softness.
By this time, enticed by the aroma and unable to contain themselves any longer, family and friends were lined up in the kitchen. The mufletas never made it to the buffet table, and were instead slathered with butter and honey, rolled up and served directly from the frying pan onto waiting plates.
In addition to mufleta, among the many delicacies that Dorit’s family prepares for Mimouna are peanut cookies, almond cookies filled with meringue or chocolate ganache, and coconut macaroons. Not only are they delicious, but all three recipes are quick and easy to make, with much of the work done by the food processor.
The peanut cookies deliver a satisfying, peanutty crunch and, unlike peanut butter cookies, require no creaming as they contain no added fat. These cookies and other non-Passover desserts were prepared and put away before Passover.
The almond cookies and coconut macaroons were made during Passover, as they contain no flour or leavening. The chocolate ganache filling provides a rich, creamy counterpoint to the chewy almond cookies, while the meringue imparts a sweet stickiness. To those accustomed to the dense, gummy packaged macaroons sold in stores, these coconut macaroons will be a revelation. Crunchy, crackly exteriors give way to light, airy interiors studded with coconut shreds.
All four recipes are from Dorit’s grandmother, from whom she acquired her love of baking.
Before each holiday, Dorit went to her grandmother’s house where she learned how to bake as they made desserts and breads together. When Dorit was 12, her grandmother died and she became the family baker.
This love of baking has evolved into Dorit’s Cakes, a business specializing in a wide variety of beautifully decorated cakes, cookies and pastries. Dorit is the owner and sole baker. (See her work at instagram.
com/dorithershko; email cakesdorit@gmail.com.)
Today Mimouna is celebrated in Moroccan Jewish communities around the world.
Some extend the celebration into the next day with picnics and barbecues. Attracted by its fun and feasting, many non-Moroccan Jews have adopted this celebration as their own. Mufleta remains the favorite food.
And, although most Jews have left Mogador/Essaouira, its legacy of peaceful Jewish Muslim co-existence continues each fall at the Andalusia-Atlantic Festival, a music festival that brings “…hundreds of Jews and Muslims together for a weekend of concerts and dialogue,” as reported in a story in The Economist. “Locals pack the small stadium to watch Hebrew cantors and Koran-reciters sing arm-in-arm… “ These macaroons may be dropped or piped onto parchment paper or into mini paper baking cups. Piping results in a more decorative cookie. Colored sprinkles give them a festive air.
Coconut Macaroons
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
1⁄2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Colored sprinkles for decoration
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or set mini paper baking cups on baking sheet.
Place egg whites and sugar in top of a double boiler (a heatproof bowl set over a pot also can be used). Water should be barely simmering. Whisk 3 to 5 minutes, or until mixture is shiny and smooth. Remove bowl from heat and beat with electric mixer until shiny, thick ribbons form. Fold in coconut and lemon zest. Dough will be quite sticky.
Drop by rounded teaspoons or pipe onto baking sheet or into mini paper baking cups. Dust with sprinkles. Bake until firm, 25 to 30 minutes. There are two schools of thought concerning mufleta making: yeast and non-yeast. It appears that Dorit’s family has handed down the more prudent choice. As guests have enough difficulty waiting for this non-yeast version, it seems unfair to make them wait even longer for yeasted pancakes!
Pancakes can be made any size you like and may be fried singly or in stacks. Instructions are given for both methods. Recipe may be halved for a smaller amount. These are best eaten as soon as possible.
Mufleta
Makes about 32 (7-inch) pancakes
7 1⁄2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 1⁄2 cups water Additional oil for coating balls
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter for topping
1 cup honey for topping
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add oil and water. Mix, then knead about 5 minutes, or until a soft, smooth dough forms. If dough feels dry, add a tiny drop of water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes.
Divide dough into 32 balls. This may be done by forming dough into 2 logs and cutting each into 16 pieces. Pour oil into a small bowl. Submerge or roll balls in oil until each is completely coated. Place balls on a flat surface, cover with plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes.
Heat large, nonstick frying pan over medium heat. While pan is heating, oil your hands, stretch one dough ball into a circle and, on a flat, oiled surface, continue stretching until pancake is as thin as possible. Don’t worry if holes form — small ones are fine; patch larger ones.
To cook singly: Fry about one minute, or until pancake is barely colored. Flip and fry about another 30 seconds, or until bottom is done. While pancake fries, form next ball into a pancake. Continue until all pancakes are done.
To cook in stacks: Fry first pancake about one minute, or until barely colored. Flip and fry about another 30 seconds, or until bottom is done. While pancake fries, form next ball into pancake. Place second pancake on top of first and flip both pancakes so that top pancake is now on bottom. When bottom is done, add next pancake to top and flip. After first pancake, all additional pancakes are fried on one side only. Continue until stack becomes too unwieldy to flip. Serve first stack immediately or cover with plastic wrap and/or towel. Begin a new stack and fry until pancakes are done.
Spread each pancake generously with butter and honey, roll and serve directly to guests, or place on a tray and serve immediately. If you place these on a tray, cover loosely with plastic wrap and/or a towel so they stay soft and warm.
This tea is popular throughout the Mideast.
Nana Tea
6 cups boiling water
1 tea bag plain, non-flavored tea
1 1⁄2 cups loosely packed
fresh mint (1⁄4 cup loosely packed fresh mint per serving)
3 tablespoons sugar
Place teabag, mint leaves and sugar in a teapot or saucepan. Pour in boiling water and stir. Let steep 5 minutes. Strain or remove mint and serve.
Here, almond cookies are filled with meringue. They can also be filled with chocolate ganache. MICHAEL These cookies may be filled with either meringue or chocolate ganache. Can’t decide? Make a few of each! For a different look than traditional filled cookies, Dorit serves these cookies in paper cups, filling side up. The number of cookies and pancakes obtained from each recipe will vary depending on their size. You can make them any size you like. As Dorit Hershko says, “In the Moroccan kitchen there are no precise rules; you can design anything to suit your imagination.”
When processing peanuts, check consistency after a few minutes to ensure that you don’t end up with peanut butter! Dough may be baked on a cookie sheet or in mini paper baking cups. Cookies will be flatter if baked on a sheet.