Safeway Chocolate Date Nut Squares and the Full Hunter’s Moon, by Margaret Ullrich

Wishing my Canadian readers a very Happy Thanksgiving, a Happy Columbus Day to readers in the United States, and a nice week to everyone else!

Yes, I'm preparing Ma's bacon covered turkey, Maltese style.

Would you really expect me to cook a Thanksgiving turkey any other way?

Today would have been my Ma’s 94th birthday. Ma died about a week after her birthday in 2009. It was an answer to her prayers. My parents had married in 1948 and immigrated to America in 1950. Pop died in January, 2009. Pop's last years hadn't been good, what with heart and kidney problems, arthritis and diabetes. Their days had become an endless round of doctors' visits. Ma also hated the winter weather in New York and always said she'd dreaded facing them. 

During one of my parents' visits, Vince Leah and his wife died within hours of each other. Since Paul had worked with Vince at The Free Press, he had gone to the funeral. I remember Ma saying how lucky Mrs. Leah was, and that she would want to go the same way, too.

I started this blog a few days after Ma died. During her later years she had gotten interested in cooking, and we sent each other recipes, both old favourites and new finds. This blog became a way to keep up that tradition.

Instead of receiving clippings from Ma, I now get emails from readers. My last post was for ‘Our Favourite Chocolate Chip Cookies’. Among the hints I mentioned that if you don’t like walnuts, leave them out. Well, The email I received was about the flip side of the nut coin. Did I have another cookie recipe that uses walnuts?

Yes, I do, thanks to the recipe that was on the back of the 1 Kg bags of walnuts, which I used to be able to find at Safeway’s. Yes, it was another staple that Sobeys, in its infinite wisdom, decided to discontinue. It was described as a delightful dessert with chocolate and nuts in every bite.

Sobeys doesn’t carry the large bags of nuts anymore.

And yet Sobeys stays in business…

Hints:

Once a package of walnuts is open, refrigerate or freeze the nuts to retain freshness.

If you’re curious, 1 Kg of walnut pieces equals approximately 8 1/2 Cups.

Toasting nuts intensifies their flavour. To toast the nuts, place them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350º F for 8 to 12 minutes, stirring once. Watch carefully, as they can burn quickly.

If you want another date recipe, you could also bake a batch of 

• Date and Walnut Bar Cookies
• Date Squares / Matrimonial Cake

As you can see, it’s also easy to go through dates and walnuts during the holidays!

                        Chocolate Date Nut Squares

Makes 54 squares

Grease a 9 x 13 inch cake pan    

FOR THE BASE

In a bowl combine

1 Cup pitted dates, chopped

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pour over the dates

1 1/2 Cups boiling water

Stir and set aside to cool.

Sift together

1 1/2 Cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

In a large mixer bowl beat

2 large eggs

Add

1/2 Cup butter or margarine, softened

1 Cup sugar

Beat until well blended.

Stir in the cooled dates and liquid.

Stir in the flour mixture.

The batter will be thin and rummy.

Pour the batter into the greased pan.

Preheat oven to 350º F

  

FOR THE TOPPING

Combine in a small bowl

1/2 Cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven, cool and cut into squares.

About the sky this week, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

Just as darkness falls, look for the Draconid Meteor shower, also known as the Giacobinids. Look to the northwest, near Polaris, the North Star, to find the constellation Draco, the Dragon, which is the radiant of this shower. Normally meteor showers are best viewed after midnight, but not in this case — head outside in the early evening!

October 9 — First Quarter Moon, 12:33 a.m. 

October 12 — Fall is a great time to view Sirius, the Dog Star, part of the Constellation Canis Major. Look to the southeastern sky where it rises after midnight, or find it in the southern sky before dawn. An easy way to find Sirius is to locate Orion’s belt and follow it in a straight line down to Sirius.

October 16 —  Full Hunter’s Moon, astronomically full at 12:23 a.m. 

Watch this short video on how the Hunter’s Moon got its name! The full Hunter’s Moon is at perigee, meaning its closest point to Earth for the month.

Anna Sultana's Queen Elizabeth Cake #2

It’s finally getting warmer in Winnipeg.

Yep… it’s time for the royals to come to Winnipeg for another visit.

Next week Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will be here!

Huzzzaah!!!

They'll also visit Winnipeg!!

In 2012 Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip came to Winnipeg.

That visit went more smoothly than their 2002 Winnipeg visit.

That’s when Queen Elizabeth’s boat broke down mid-river.

She had to be towed by another boat which was carrying her security detail.

No harm done and we all got a royal chuckle out of it.

I still admire Queen Elizabeth - nothing gets her down. 

All she said was "That was interesting," as she was helped from one boat into the other to reach shore.

Prince Charles has a lot to live up to with her as a role model.

Oh, well, it won’t be long before it’s Prince William and Kate’s turn.

And then there’ll be the adorable Prince George Alexander Louis.

In New Zealand Kate revealed that Prince George isn't a big fan of vegetables.

She and Prince William have had to sneak them into the 8-month-old’s food.

About two years ago I posted Ma’s recipe for Queen Elizabeth Cake.

It’s a Date and Walnut Cake with a brown sugar coconut topping.

I posted it because in 2012 we were celebrating Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.

To be honest Ma had two recipes.

I posted the one she usually served.

The other recipe has a sauce.

By the time Ma had made the cake and topping she figured it was enough.

But, maybe for a wedding, christening or jubilee it’s worth the bother.

No matter, they are both great cakes.

To honour a great Queen.

And I’m sure Kate wouldn’t have to sneak a slice of either into Prince George.

Hints:

The sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to five days if stored in an airtight container.  Heat it up again before using. 

Store the cake at room temperature, covered, for up to three days.

                        Queen Elizabeth Cake

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350º

Grease and flour an 8 inch springform pan

In a saucepan place

1 Cup water

1 Cup pitted dates, cut up

Bring to boil. 

Simmer, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, until water is absorbed.

Set aside.

Sift together

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl beat until creamy

1/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened

1 Cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat in

1 large egg

Beginning and ending with the dry, stir in sifted ingredients, alternating with the date mixture.

Mix well after each addition. 

Stir in

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

Turn into prepared pan.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare

Brown Sugar Coconut Topping

Combine in a saucepan

1/2 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

1/3 Cup unsalted butter

3/4 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Stirring constantly, bring all ingredients to a boil.

Simmer over low heat 3 minutes.

After cake has baked, spread topping on cake.

Place under the broiler for another 10 minutes.

Topping will bubble.

Watch the cake closely to prevent the coconut from burning. 

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing. 

Transfer to a cake stand or plate.

For the Sauce

In a saucepan place

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup heavy cream

Bring all ingredients to boil, then simmer, stirring constantly.

Serve the sauce with the cake, while it’s still warm or at room temperature. 

Anna Sultana's Imqaret - Deep-fried Date Slices, Maltese Style l Jelly Doughnuts

Some of Ma's recipes were similar to those my Sicilian Aunts cooked.

And some were similar to what our German neighbours cooked.

Hard to believe?

Ma said Mrs. Kekelia's German rouladen reminded her of Maltese bragoli.

But there are a few recipes that we Maltese can claim as strictly our own.

One such recipe is the one for our imqaret.

Imqaret is kind of like a jelly doughnut.

Jelly doughnuts were pretty popular when I was a kid in College Point.

My German friends had plenty of jelly- or custard-filled doughnuts.

They called the doughnuts bismarks, or Berliners, or long johns.

In Manitoba jelly doughnuts are called jambusters.

In Nova Scotia they are called Burlington buns.

Imqaret is a little different.

It is fried with the filling already in it.

And the filling is made from dates, not jelly or custard.

And there isn't any yeast in the dough.

Like I said, it's strictly our own recipe.

And it's way, way better.

Hint:

If you don't have a deep-frying thermometer, test the oil by slipping a bit of the dough into the oil.  It should sizzle and turn brown in 1 minute.

Orange flower water may be a bit hard to find.

You can substitute more anisette or equal parts orange extract and water.

                        Imqaret

Makes about 1 dozen slices

Filling

Place in a dutch oven

200 grams dates

1 Tablespoon anisette

1 Tablespoon orange flower water

grated rind of 1 lemon

grated rind of 1 orange

grated rind of 1 tangerine

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/8 Cup water

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Pastry

In a large bowl place

200 grams flour

25 grams sugar

25 grams lard

25 grams margarine

Rub the fat into the sugar / flour mixture.

Add

1 Tablespoon anisette

1 Tablespoon orange flower water

Mix to make a dough you can roll out.

Add more liquid if needed.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 

Roll out the dough into long strips, about 4 inches wide.

Place some date mixture along half of the strip to within 1/4 inch of the edges.

Wet the edges of the pastry with water and fold the pastry over to cover the filling.

Press the edges well together.

Cut on the diagonal to form diamond shapes.

It won't be like ravioli, in that some of the filling will show in the places where the pastry has been cut.

Don't worry - it won't ooze out.

In a deep saucepan or deep fryer pour

about 2 inches vegetable oil

Heat to 375º on a deep-fry thermometer or test with dough.

Place a few imqaret into the hot oil.

Don't crowd or they won't fry properly.

Fry about 5 minutes.

They should be crisp and golden brown.

Remove the imqaret with a slotted spoon.

Drain on paper towels.

Repeat with the remaining imqaret.

Imqaret are best eaten hot.

A bit of jelly doughnut trivia...

In Germany berliners are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve as well as during the carnival holidays. 

As a joke they fill some berliners with mustard instead of jam.

Yeah... big yuks.

You can't play any tricks with an imqaret.

You can see what is inside.

Anna Sultana's Queen Elizabeth Cake (Date and Walnut Cake) l Brown Sugar Coconut Topping

Time sure flies.

It's been a year since Wills and Kate got married.

I can remember when Princess Di showed off her bundle of joy.

I wonder if Kate smirked when she said, "For richer, for poorer."

What, like they'd lose a castle or two?

Never mind.

They looked adorable.

They kissed twice on the balcony.

Her sister's rear end made world news.

And this year we're celebrating Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee!!

On Oxford Street 147 Union flags have been unfurled.

On June 3 up to 1000 boats will sail along the Thames to honor the Queen.

And, in Winnipeg, I'm going to bake my Ma's Queen Elizabeth Cake.

I don't know when Ma got this recipe.

When I was a kid, my folks often got care packages from Malta.

Sometimes my relatives included newspaper clippings.

One of them must have had a recipe for this cake.

Maybe it was invented when Queen Elizabeth was crowned. 

No matter.

It's a great cake.

To honor a great Queen.

                        Queen Elizabeth Cake

Preheat oven to 325º

Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan

In a bowl place

1 Cup pitted dates, cut up

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 Cup boiling water

Set aside.

Sift together

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Add

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

In a large mixer bowl beat until creamy

1/4 Cup margarine

Beat in 

1 Cup sugar

Beat in

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir in date mixture.

Stir in sifted ingredients with the walnuts.

Turn into prepared pan.

Bake 45 minutes (it's almost done).

While the cake is baking, prepare

Brown Sugar Coconut Topping

Combine in a saucepan

1/3 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons margarine

2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 Cup unsweetened dried coconut

Stirring constantly, simmer over low heat 3 minutes.

After cake has baked 45 minutes, spread topping on cake.

Return cake to oven for another 10 minutes.

Topping will bubble, but will not brown.

The Brown Sugar Topping is also good on other cakes.

Just remember to spread it on 10 minutes before the cake is done.

I'm sure Queen Elizabeth wouldn't mind.

Baked Chicken with Curried Fruit (Middle Eastern Style) - Margaret Ullrich

Hold it!

Don't put the curry powder away just yet.

This is a nice, simple Middle Eastern recipe with a fair bit of fruit.

Both in solid and juice form.

The leftover dates can be cut up and put on your oatmeal.

They're handy to have in the kitchen.

They don't get mushy like bananas.

Dates - the perfect breakfast fruit.

Don't have cornstarch?

Three tablespoons flour equals one and a half tablespoons cornstarch.

Lentils are like rice.

If you don't have lentils, use rice.

But, really, you should expand your starch horizons.

Put a different food section on your 'Bucket List' NOW.

Please.

                              

                        Chicken with Curried Fruit

Season 

2 legs and 2 breasts 

with

salt and pepper

Brown in butter and oil.  Remove.

In the same pot, cook until translucent

1/2 medium onion, chopped 

Combine

1 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 Cup orange juice 

1 Cup chicken broth

juice of 1/2 lemon

Stir into pot, cook, stirring until sauce thickens.

                     

Replace chicken, cover with sauce  (can be stored in the fridge).

Bake, covered, in 350º oven 45 minutes.

Garnish chicken with

12 dates, cut lengthwise 

1/2 green pepper, chopped 

Bake, covered, in 350º oven 15 minutes.

Serve, garnished with oranges, sliced paper-thin, with rice or french bread,

and cooked lentils marinated in French dressing.

Date Squares / Matrimonial Cake - Margaret Ullrich

Got an e mail for another date recipe.

Sure.

We're all in this together.

Next year we'll know better.

Right.

This is also called Matrimonial Cake, but you cut it into bars.

Who cares.  

It uses up those dates.

                        Date Squares

                                                            

grease an 8" square pan         

preheat oven to 325º           

bake 40 min.

Bring to a boil

1 Cup dates

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 Cup water

Simmer 5 minutes

Cool

-----

Mix together

1 Cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda     

1/8 teaspoon salt

-----

Cut in

1 Cup margarine

-----

Blend in

1 Cup brown sugar

2 Cups oatmeal

Press half the crumb mixture in the prepared pan.

Cover with the date filling.

Top with the remaining crumb mixture.

bake - cool - cut into bars

Choo Choos - Date and Walnut Bar Cookies - Margaret Ullrich

Along with the raisins, you bought dates and walnuts.

Yeah, they do get stale.

Can't save them till next Christmas.

Here's an easy cookie recipe.

                        Choo Choos

grease an 8" square pan         

preheat oven to 350º           

bake 30 min.

makes 24 bars

Mix together

3/4 Cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder     

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Cup sugar

-----

Stir in

1 Cup chopped dates                 

3/4 Cup chopped walnuts

-----

Beat until foamy

2 eggs                                   

blend in dry ingredients

turn into prepared pan

bake - cool - cut into bars

Still have a bag or two of dates?
Make a pan or two of Date Squares.
they're also known as Matrimonial Cake.