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Assidat Zgougou

The pine seed is ground and then strained through muslin, because the husk will never soften.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (whole milk).

Ingredients

the zgougou base

the pudding

the cream layer

to finish

Method

  1. THE PINE SEED IS GROUND AND THEN STRAINED THROUGH MUSLIN, because the husk will never soften. Zgougou is the seed of the Aleppo pine, husk and all, and the husk is woody -- it does not break down in grinding, cooking or anything else. So the seed is ground to a coarse dark meal, steeped in hot water, and then wrung through muslin in batches, and it is the inky grey-brown LIQUID that becomes the pudding while the husk goes in the bin. Skip the straining and the dessert is full of hard splinters that cannot be chewed. This is the step the whole thing turns on, it takes half an hour, and there is no way round it.
  2. IT IS WRUNG HARD AND IN BATCHES, AND THE MEAL IS RE-STEEPED. A handful at a time in the muslin, twisted until nothing more comes, and the pressed meal returned to a second litre of hot water and wrung again. The first pressing gives colour and the second gives much of the flavour; one pass leaves most of it behind.
  3. IT IS BUILT IN TWO LAYERS AND THE DARK ONE GOES IN FIRST. A thick dark zgougou pudding, chilled until set, then a white milk pudding over it. The contrast between the near-black base and the white top is how the dish is recognised, and the second layer goes on only when the first is cold and firm -- poured onto a warm base the two merge into one grey pudding.
  4. THE DARK LAYER IS COOKED MUCH THICKER THAN SEEMS RIGHT. Until a spoon drawn through leaves a trench that holds. It has to support six hundred millilitres of milk pudding on top without being compressed, and a soft base gives a dessert with a blurred middle.
  5. THE FLOUR IS A MIX OF CORNFLOUR AND PLAIN. A hundred and twenty grams of cornflour to sixty of plain. Cornflour alone sets bouncy and slightly squeaky; the wheat flour gives it body and a softer set, and together they hold the layer firm without rubberiness.
  6. THE NUTS GO ON AT THE VERY END AND IN QUANTITY. Four hundred grams across four kinds, and they are arranged in patterns on the white surface rather than scattered. This is a dessert made for a celebration and the decoration is part of it; added before chilling they sink.
  7. IT IS CHILLED SIX HOURS BEFORE THE NUTS AND SERVED COLD. Both layers set firm. Nuts on a soft surface will not sit where they are put.
  8. The pine seed GROUND to a coarse dark meal.
  9. Steeped in 750 ml of hot water 20 MINUTES.
  10. WRUNG THROUGH MUSLIN a handful at a time, twisted until nothing more comes. The liquid KEPT.
  11. The pressed meal RE-STEEPED in the remaining hot water and WRUNG AGAIN. The husk discarded.
  12. The cornflour and plain flour whisked smooth into the 500 ml of cold milk, then the dark zgougou liquid and sugar added.
  13. Cooked, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, 10 MINUTES, until a spoon leaves a TRENCH THAT HOLDS.
  14. Poured into a wide dish, levelled, and CHILLED 3 HOURS until COLD AND FIRM.
  15. The second layer: the 60 g cornflour whisked into the 600 ml milk with the sugar and cooked 6 MINUTES until thick. The blossom water stirred in off the heat.
  16. Poured over the COLD dark layer and levelled. Chilled a further 3 HOURS.
  17. The four nuts arranged in patterns over the white surface.
  18. TESTED: the cut edge should show two clean layers, dark below and white above, and there should be no woody grit at all. Grit means the straining was short.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Tunisia · All recipes