Recipes from "Matzah and Flour'

The Suares fried tortillas of unleavened bread
for RoshHashana
(Matute, Spain)

Serves: 12 tortillas Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

21⁄2 cups (375 g) flour

1⁄2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons (20 ml) olive oil

2⁄3 cup + 1 tbsp (150 ml) warm water

1 egg

1⁄8 cup (30 g) pomegranate syrup, to drizzle

1⁄8 cup fresh cheese, like labneh

3 figs, dried or fresh

Oil for frying (such as vegetable or canola oil)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the olive oil, warm water, and egg to the bowl and mix until a dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5–7 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.
Divide the dough into small pieces. Each one should be 11⁄8 oz (30 g), the size of a ping-pong ball. Put them in a plastic bag and cool in the fridge for 1 hour. Roll the dough balls out into thin circles (about 6 inches/15 cm in diameter).
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a small amount of oil. Fry the matzah tortillas one at a time, flipping once, until they are lightly browned on both sides (about 1 minute on each side).
Remove the matzo from the skillet, drizzle with pomegranate syrup, and dip into fresh cheese and eat with figs. If desired, you can break the matzot into small pieces and fry them in oil until they are crispy.

Serves: 1 large loaf (8 servings)

Time: 40 minutes + 40 minutes baking

20 Medjool dates (10 diced and 10 for date puree)

1⁄2 cup (100 g) brown sugar

2 eggs

1⁄2 cup + 1⁄3 cup (100 g) flour

1 tsp (7 g) baking soda 1⁄4 cup (60 g) neutral oil 1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1⁄2 Vanilla seeds

1⁄4 cup (60 g) fresh pomegranate juice

To make the date syrup:

Preheat the oven to 170°C (338°F).
Cut 10 of the dates in half and check for any defects. Add the 10 dates to a saucepan, along with the pits. Cover the dates with water (the water level should be twice as high as the height of the dates placed in the saucepan) and simmer for about 10 minutes. Once the pits and water start to darken, cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove the pits from the dates. Place the pitless dates in a muslin cloth, tie the top closed, and position it above the saucepan to drain the water from the dates into the saucepan. Once it has drained, open the muslin cloth and collect the puree obtained from the dates.
Boil the golden drained water (from cooking the dates) in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir and cook for about 25 minutes until the mixture thickens. This is silan, or date syrup.
Simmer and store the silan in a jar for future use.

To make the cake:

In a bowl, mix the brown sugar with the eggs, then add the flour and baking soda to the mixture. Pour in the oil and add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and pomegranate juice. Incorporate the date puree and the chopped dates into the batter.
Grease a rectangular baking pan (8 inches/19cm long by 5 inches/12 cm wide) with neutral oil and dust it with flour to prevent sticking. Pour the prepared batter into the pan. If your oven is strong, cover the mold with aluminum foil to prevent quick cooking.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool before taking it out of the baking pan.
This cake pairs well with mint green tea and vanilla ice cream for a delightful combination of flavors.