Skip to main content

Sambousek bel Loz

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    These Syrian pastries are prepared with the dough given under savory sambousek bi gebna on page 135, using a little sugar instead of salt, and a filling of 2 cups ground almonds mixed with 3/4–1 cup superfine sugar and 2 tablespoons orange-blossom water.

    Step 2

    Take walnut-sized lumps of dough, roll each into a little ball and flatten as thinly as possible between the palms of your hands, then pull it further into a round of about 4 inches in diameter. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each. Fold in half, making a halfmoon shape, then pinch and fold the edges firmly in a sort of festoon.

    Step 3

    Deep-fry the pastries in hot oil until golden brown, and drain on paper towels. Or, better still, paint their tops with lightly beaten egg yolk and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 1/2 hour, until golden.

    Step 4

    Iraqis flavor the filling with 1 teaspoon ground cardamom.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
Read More
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Like miso-peanut hibachi chicken and spring orzotto.
Like José Andrés’s paella and not one but two chicken stir-fries.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
A crowd-friendly, crisp-edged chicken and vegetable rice from chef José Andrés.
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.