Baking an old-time favorite

Girss Ogaili: Is the most famous traditional kuwaiti cake. My grandmother told me once, before the invension of ovens they used to bake this delicious cake between 2 layers of charcoal, and they used brown flour instead of white. Sadly my grandmother can't remember the old recipe.

This aromatic, light and tender cake is perfect with apot of tea or a warm cup of milk. Like other cakes Girss Ogaili get even better as it ages (the second and the third day). please don't think of glazing it, it's wonderful served just as is.

The recipe is yours......

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1 cup sugar, 1 Tabelspoon less

1 1/2 cup all-purpose or cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground saffron

1/4 cup hot water

1/4 cup corn or conola oil

Sesame sauce (Tahini)

Toasted sesame

Method:

1- Preheat oven to 350f (180c) . Grease a cake mold of your choice with tahini and dust all over with sesame seeds (i use bundt pan style).

2- Sift together flour+baking powder+cardamom. Stir saffron into the hot water and keep a side.

3- In a mixer using a whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar together until it becomes light in color, add oil then zaffaron water and continue to beat for 2 minutes.

4- On low speed add dry ingredients until well mixed.

5- fill the cake mold with batter and bake for 45 minutes. Leave to cool completely. Unmold the cake .

Why i love Pesto?

Pesto: A delicious italian sauce made of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil. It is traditionaly tossed with pasta and some times used as a seasoning for other dishes.
Ready made pesto is available in well-stocked grocery stores and specialty food shops, but nothing is compared to the home made pesto. I have tested different pesto recipes featured in cookbooks, food magazines and on-line too, but this one remaines my familly favorite.


Pesto is so simple and versatile. You can use it by it self as a dip for breads or crudités, or mix it with pasta (like i do) and throw in some pitted olives and sun dired tomatoes.......voilà, you have a pasta pesto salad.


For a warmer version, heat some cream in a sauce pan then stir in a couple spoons of pesto, then throw in your pasta .......see it's like a piece of cake. Next time i will try making pesto the old fashioned way with a wooden pestle and a marble morter, some people say it has a better taste this way, who knows it could be true!