For your haft-seen table
GHOTTAB: WALNUT AND ALMOND TURNOVER
Makes: 60 pieces
From start to finish: 1 hour, plus 1 hour refrigerating time for the dough
INGREDIENTS:
For the Dough: 4 cups all-purpose flour; 24 tablespoons unsalted butter (3 sticks), chilled and cut into ½-inch pieces; ¼ cup sugar;
1 1/8 teaspoons salt; 10-12 tablespoons ice-cold water
For the Filling: 1 ½ cups unsalted, blanched almonds; 1 cup shelled walnuts; 1 ½ cups pure cane sugar cubes (or granulated sugar); 2 tablespoons ground cardamom; ¼ cup rose water
For the Egg Wash: 2 egg yolks; 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron; 2 tablespoons rose water
INSTRUCTIONS:
To Make the Dough:
Place the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a bowl of a food processor; pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time into mixture and pulse after each addition until mixture becomes a dough. With hands, shape dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To Make the Filling:
Meanwhile, combine, almonds, walnut, and sugar cubes in a food processor, in batches, until finely ground. Repeat until all sugar cubes, almonds, and walnuts have been used and puréed. Remove and place in a mixing bowl.
Add cardamom and rose water over the ground nuts. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
To Make the Egg Wash:
In a small bowl, beat egg yolks, ground saffron, and rosewater to blend. Then set aside.
To Assemble the Cookies:
Shape the dough into a large sausage. Slice the dough in 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered.
On a lightly floured pastry board, with a rolling pin, roll out the dough to an 8-inch circle and about 1/8-inch thick. Using a floured cookie cutter, cut the dough into small circles, about 3 inches in diameter.
Fill each circle with 2 teaspoons of filling mixture, leaving a ½-inch margin. With a pastry brush, gently brush the margin with egg wash, then fold each circle into a half-moon shape, using a fork and pressing the two dough edges together, making a deep imprint in each one to seal the filling securely. Brush over each cookie with egg wash. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place on the center rack and bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven. When ghottabs are completely cool, store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
“You take a small bite of ghottab and, for one ecstatic instant, your whole youthful years return to pleasure your eyes.”
