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Sephardi Continued from Page 9
reheated over a low flame.

Place the rice in a mound
in the center of a large deep
platter with a generous rim.

Using tongs, place the chicken
thighs around the rice. Spoon
the broth and prunes over the
chicken. Sprinkle the almonds
over the chicken and rice. Serve
immediately. ORANGE DATE ALMOND
TORTE | PAREVE
How has one of
the oldest cities
in the world
Yield: Serves 8
Typical of North African
Jewish cuisine, this moist cake
is steeped in the fragrance of
refreshing oranges.

Equipment: A food processor,
a 9½-inch springform pan
and an electric hand mixer
become one of the
hottest cities for
start-ups? Fit a food processor with the
metal blade. Place the almonds
and ¼-cup sugar in the bowl
of the food processor. Grind
the nuts for about 30 seconds.

Then pulse on and off until the
mixture resembles coarse sand.

Sprinkle in the cinnamon and
pulse briefly, until combined.

Move the nut mixture to a bowl
and reserve. Clean the food
processor parts.

Wash the oranges with a lit-
tle liquid soap and rinse well.

Move the oranges to a medi-
um-large saucepan. Cover them
with water. Place the lid on the
pan and bring the water to a
boil over a medium flame. Turn
the flame to low and simmer the
oranges for about 40 minutes,
or until softened in the center.

RACHEL SIGMAN
Philadelphia Director
T: 215.330.6722
E: rsigman@afhu.org
L E A R N M O R E AT
A F H U . O R G /J E R U S A L E M T E C H
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s research has
led to over 130 life-enhancing commercial ventures
that provide revolutionary products and services to
people everywhere. Our most successful technology
venture is integrated in over 40 million vehicles
worldwide. Since 1925, American Friends of the
Hebrew University has connected the passions of
Americans with innovation at the Hebrew University.

KNOWLEDGE MOVES US.

10 MARCH 19, 2020
1½ cups blanched slivered
almonds 1 cup sugar, plus more for
dusting ¼ teaspoon ground
cinnamon 2 large navel oranges with
flawless skin
Vegetable oil for coating
½ cup pitted dates,
preferably medjool
6 large eggs
JEWISH EXPONENT
Add more water, if necessary.

Discard the cooking water.

Add cold water and a couple
of ice cubes to the saucepan to let
the oranges cool through. Pour
off the water and dry the oranges
with paper towels. Cut the
oranges into 8 pieces, including
their skin. Remove any coarse
pith and all the seeds. Reserve.

Preheat the oven to 375
degrees. Coat the springform
pan generously with oil. Sprinkle
a teaspoon or so of sugar into the
pan and shake it to coat as evenly
as possible. Discard any excess
sugar. Reserve.

Assemble the food processor
again, using the metal blade.

Cut the dates into 4 pieces and
then chop them. Move them
to the food processor bowl.

Add the orange pieces, includ-
ing the peel. Grind the pieces
until a somewhat-coarse puree
forms. Reserve.

Take 2 eggs and separate the
yolks from the whites. Place the
egg whites and ¼-cup sugar into
a medium-sized bowl. Using an
electric hand mixer, beat until
stiff, shiny peaks form. Do not
overbeat or the egg whites turn
watery. Reserve.

Add the 4 whole eggs, the
2 reserved egg yolks and the
remaining ½-cup sugar into
a large mixing bowl. With
the electric hand mixer, beat
until the mixture turns airy
and light. Be patient, as this
takes several minutes. Beat in
the orange-date mixture and
the almond mixture until well
combined. Fold in the beaten
egg whites and combine on the
mixer’s low setting until no
trace of the egg whites remain.

Using a spatula, move the mix-
ture to the prepared pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes
or until the torte is lightly
browned and the center springs
back when gently tapped with a
forefinger. Cool to room tem-
perature. Gently run a knife
around the edge of the cake to
separate it from the pan before
releasing the spring.

Serve immediately or wrap
it well in foil and serve the
next day. l
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Sephardi Holiday Mimouna a Most Delicious
Way to Celebrate the End of Passover
SONYA SANFORD | JTA VIA THE NOSHER
YOU MAY ALREADY be
familiar with Mimouna, a
Sephardi holiday that origi-
nated in Morocco and marks
the end of Passover. On the
night following the last day
of Passover, the end of eight
chametz-free days is celebrated
with a feast of treats.

In Morocco, neighbors
travel to each other’s houses
— it is customary to leave all
doors open to welcome any
possible guests. Tables are
laden with symbols to ensure
a good year: blossoming spring
flowers, fish for abundance
and fertility, and dates sweet-
ened with honey to inspire an
equally sweet life. The next
day, festivities continue with
barbecues, picnics and large
gatherings. One of the most common
dishes prepared for Mimouna
is the crepe-like mufleta (or
moufleta). You might also find
nougat, fazuelos (a fried thin
pastry), couscous-au-lait (sweet
couscous with milk), almond
cookies, marzipan, stuffed dates
and a variety of other sweet and
savory baked goods.

Mimouna’s popularity
has expanded in recent years
beyond North Africa and is
even widely celebrated in Israel.

Two of my favorite dishes
for this holiday are the crepe-
like mufleta and sweet stuffed
dates. My stuffed dates are
a slight deviation from the
norm. Instead of marzipan,
these dates are stuffed with a
combination of pistachio and
almond. They are sweetened
only slightly with honey, and
then drizzled with tahini, and
a generous pinch of flaky salt.

They are a delicious celebra-
tory treat, but they also make a
delightful snack any time.

I hope this year brings you
Mufleta is a dish that’s commonly served for the Sephardi holiday of Mimouna. 
your own Mimouna parties, won’t properly activate. Allow
or a chance to throw your own the yeast to get foamy and bub-
bly, about 5 minutes.

with these delicious treats.

Combine the flour and salt.

Here are the two recipes:
Make a well in the flour, and
MUFLETA then add the water and yeast
mixture. Using your hands,
1½ cups warm water
1 packet (2¼ teaspoons)
active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour,
plus more if needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Oil as needed (sunflower,
canola or a neutral tasting
oil) Combine the yeast and
sugar with the warm water;
make sure the water is not too
hot or too cold, or your yeast
but it shouldn’t stick to your
hands. If you find your dough
is too sticky, add a little more
flour as needed.

Once the dough is formed
into a ball, knead the dough
until smooth and elastic, about
Photo by Sonya Sanford
their dough into balls before
letting it rise, and some prefer
to do it after.

Generously drizzle a baking
sheet or Pyrex with more oil.

Pull off golf ball-sized rounds
of dough and form them into
Mimouna’s popularity has expanded in recent years beyond North Africa
and is even widely celebrated in Israel.

incorporate the water into
the flour. The amount of flour
you need can depend on the
brand of the flour as well as the
humidity/temperature in your
kitchen. You want the dough to
be slightly tacky to the touch,
5 minutes.

Lightly grease the bowl with
oil, and then place the dough
into the bowl. Cover the bowl
with a damp, clean dish towel
and allow the dough to rise for
40 minutes. Some folks form
balls. Roll them in the oil and
then let them rest for about 5
minutes. Form one round of dough
into a paper-thin circle, about
10 inches in diameter. You
want each layer to be as thin as
See Mimouna, Page 12
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM JEWISH EXPONENT
MARCH 19, 2020
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