Seffa
Fine-grained sweet couscous, called seffa in Morocco and mesfouf in Tunisia, is served hot, accompanied by cold milk or buttermilk. I like to eat it for breakfast. There are many versions. Dried fruit such as dates and raisins, and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, can be added, and the grain can be flavored with orange-blossom water or with cinnamon, honey, or sugar. A particularly wonderful version is with fresh grapes. The most common, seffa be zbib, is with large black or golden raisins. Seffa be tamr is with dates and walnut halves. There is also one with pomegranate seeds. Here is a basic seffa/mesfouf followed by possible garnishes. Serve it in bowls and pass round a jug of hot milk to pour over.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6-8
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare couscous as described in “An Easy Way of Preparing Quick-Cooking Couscous in the Oven” on page 376, using the amounts of couscous, water, salt, and oil called for in the above list.
Step 2
Before serving, break up any lumps very thoroughly, add sugar to taste, and, if you like, orange-blossom water, and work in the butter.
Step 3
Mix in one of the garnishes that follow, leaving some aside to decorate the dish.
Step 4
Serve in a round, shallow dish. Shape into a cone. Dust the pointed top with confectioners’ sugar and draw lines down the sides with cinnamon. Decorate further with the bits of garnish that have been left aside.
Step 5
Serve in soup bowls. Accompany with bowls of sugar, cinnamon, and honey for people to help themselves if they want to, and with a jug of hot milk.
Possible Garnishes
Step 6
1/2 cup raisins soaked in water for 15–20 minutes, then drained
Step 7
1/2 pound dates and 1 cup chopped walnut halves (keep a few whole to decorate)
Step 8
1 1/2 cups mixed chopped lightly toasted nuts, including pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnuts, and 1/2 cup black or golden raisins
Step 9
Plenty of fresh grapes
Step 10
The fresh pink seeds of 2 pomegranates
Step 11
1 cup blanched almonds, lightly toasted or fried in a drop of oil till golden, and coarsely chopped
Step 12
For a Tunisian version, make a syrup by boiling 3/4 cup water with 1 1/4 cups sugar and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Pour half of it over the cooked grain and heat in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with the rest of the syrup poured over and a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts.
