Imqaret
Ingredients
- 400 g flour
- 100 g cold butter, cubed
- 1 tbsp orange flower water, for the pastry
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 60 ml water
- 1 tsp aniseed liqueur
- 400 g pitted dates, diced
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tbsp orange flower water, for the filling
- 125 ml water, for the filling
- 1 tsp each ground cloves, cinnamon and aniseed
- Vegetable oil for frying
Imqaret — the name comes from the Arabic for diamond — are sold hot from street stalls outside Valletta's city gate. Chopped dates are cooked down with water, orange zest, orange flower water, cloves, cinnamon and aniseed into a thick, spiced paste. A short pastry flavoured with orange flower water and a spoon of aniseed liqueur is rolled into long strips, the date filling is laid down one side, the pastry folded over and the strip cut on the diagonal into diamonds. They are fried briefly in hot oil (or baked) and eaten warm, often with vanilla ice cream.
Method
Soak the diced dates in the 125 ml water for 30 minutes. Cook them over low heat with the orange zest, orange flower water and spices, adding the soaking water gradually and stirring, until a thick paste forms. Refrigerate for about an hour.
For the pastry, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder, rub in the cold butter and add the orange flower water and liqueur. Add the water slowly while kneading to a soft dough. Wrap and chill for about an hour.
Divide the dough and the filling into quarters. Roll each portion of dough into a strip about 50 cm long and 10-15 cm wide.
Spread a line of date filling along one side of each strip, leaving a border, fold the dough over the filling and press gently to seal.
Cut each strip on the diagonal into about 10 diamond-shaped pieces.
Heat vegetable oil to 170°C (340°F) and fry the imqaret in batches for about 1 minute per side until golden. Drain on paper towels.
To bake instead, space them on a lined tray and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes until golden. Serve warm.
