Algerian Harrissa - Not a Chilli Sauce but a Sweet!

"Quite a misleading name and I've never been able to get to the bottom of it.... However, these harrissa are very pretty little Algerian helouwa (sweets). I always include these on my trays of Eid helouwa that I give to friends and family as they are so nice to look at (and not bad tasting too). I also make these using a mix of 100g ground almonds with 250g desiccated coconut (ground up). These freeze well so you can whip a few out whenever you need them. Oh and the best thing? You don't even need to cook them!"
 
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photo by Um Safia photo by Um Safia
photo by Um Safia
photo by Um Safia photo by Um Safia
photo by Mme M photo by Mme M
photo by Mme M photo by Mme M
Ready In:
1hr
Ingredients:
8
Yields:
40-60 flower harrissa
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ingredients

  • 4 cups ground almonds
  • 1 14 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
  • 12 teaspoon orange blossom water (mazhar)
  • 3 tablespoons cornflour, for dusting
  • food coloring, of choice
  • For Decoration

  • 3 tablespoons sugar, for rolling
  • angelica (silver balls) or dragees (silver balls)
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directions

  • Place the almonds, sugar orange blossom water & margarine in a food processor & mix to form a firm paste.
  • Split paste into 3 equal parts. Leave one natural and mix colouring into the other 2. Dust surfaces with cornflour. Roll paste into 3 long sausages then plait together. If using coconut, you'll not be able to plait them so lay them next to each other, then gently push them together so they stick to each other.
  • Dust hands with a little cornflour and form the paste into as many little balls as you can get ( a little larger than a Malteser). Lightly press the top of each ball into s little sugar.
  • With a matchstick or similar, make a indentation in the middle of the ball. Take a screw top from a bottle (coke etc) and gently press the rim of the top, starting from the middle and rolling the top out so that you get a little arc.
  • Repeat this until you have covered the ball - usually 6 or so top marks. You should have what looks like a flower.
  • Place a silver ball, piece of cherry or angelica etc into the centre of the flower. Place the harrissa into tiny sweet cases to serve.
  • As an alternative. Instead of plaiting the paste, roll out and layer then cut into lozenge/diamond shapes.

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Reviews

  1. This is outstanding because it is an easily prepared homemade marzipan that is perfect. It isn't cloyingly sweet; it's just right!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

ABOVE: My eldest, Talha with his 'Zaar Star! I'm 29 years old and have been cooking since I was old enough to wield a wooden spoon! My Mum is a fantastic cook and both my Grandmas were great cooks too. I've also had the pleasure of working in two commercial kitchens - one which I ran and the other I was second chef of. You can find me lurking in the NA*ME (North Africa / Middle East) Forum where I am a host: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=59 and also in the Cooking for Kids Forum where I am co-host: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=34 <style>body { background: url(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww141/Um_Safia/seamless%20tiles/seamlesstile1.jpg);background-repeat: repeat; }</style> I am fortunate enough to have 2 children of my own now and enjoy cooking with my eldest who is almost 8 years old. My daughter is almost 3 & has now started joining me in the kitchen & 'helping'. She likes to stand on a chair next to me, give instructions & stir. We eat food from all over the world but my husband prefers it like 'mama used to make' or in his case ''like yemma makes it'' as he is Algerian! We are currently living in the UK after living in Algeria for a while. You will notice that I have posted quite a few Algerian classics. If I had the time and the money, I would spend all day every day trying new recipes! My husband has a 'recipe score' which is this: 1: "Add it to your recipe book - I loved it and wanna eat this again soon!" 2: "Interesting....I will enjoy eating this again." 3: "I cleared my plate but don't expect me to eat this again...ever." However, I rate 'Zaar recipes the by the 'Zaar standard, so don't worry. Oh and fyi, I have a problem being negative so will probably NEVER give a rating less that 4*!!! Other than cooking, I love anything arty-crafty and enjoy painting when I get the chance, which is rarely these days. I used to sell a lot of my creations and do things to order but just don't have the time at the moment. I have a passion for gardening almost as strong as that for cooking. I tend to have 90% of it in pots though as I can't bear to leave it behind when we move - therefore we don't have a lot of stuff that we'd like to have as it wouldn't like being confined to a pot! I take great pride in my garden and love the summer months (the few that we get in the UK) when we can eat outside... and being a typical man, my husband likes any excuse to get the BBQ going - enough said! By the way; I'm on a mission to re-educate people about soaking cous cous for use in North African recipes.,,just so you all know....it is traditionally STEAMED & not soaked! Most of the North African recipes I have have been taught to me by my mother in law, sisters in law etc. A few have come from very old cookbooks. 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