M’hancha

Ingredients

Pastry

• 12 sheetsof warqa, or 12 sheets of filo

Almond filling

• 500 gblanched almonds
• 200 gicing sugar
• 100 gbutter, softened
• 2 tbsporange blossom water
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1egg yolk
• a pinch of salt

To assemble

• 100 gbutter, melted
• 1egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk

To finish

• 3 tbsphoney, warmed
• 2 tbsptoasted flaked almonds
• icing sugar, to dust

Directions

1. Fry them in a little oil until pale gold and drain them well. Let them cool completely before grinding. Now grinding them, which needs the right texture. Grind the almonds in a processor in short pulses. Stop while there is still some texture, before it becomes a paste.
2. Put the ground almonds in a bowl with the icing sugar. Add the softened butter, orange blossom water, cinnamon and lemon zest. Add the egg yolk and the salt. Work it together with your hands until it comes together. It should hold its shape when squeezed, like a firm marzipan.
3. Add another spoonful of orange blossom water if it is crumbly. Taste it: the orange blossom should be clearly present. Divide the filling into equal portions, one per pastry strip. Roll each portion into a long thin rope on a lightly dusted surface. Make them about the thickness of your finger. Set the ropes aside on a tray.
4. Keep the sheets under a barely damp cloth throughout. Uncovered filo goes brittle within a couple of minutes. Lay one sheet on the work surface. If using filo, lay a second sheet on top of the first. Brush the top sheet lightly with melted butter. Lay a rope of almond filling along one long edge. Leave a two-centimetre margin at each end. Fold the short ends in over the filling.
5. Roll the pastry up over the filling into a long thin cigar. Roll it firmly but do not squeeze the filling out. Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling. Grease a wide round baking tin or a lined tray. Take one filled rope and curl it into a tight spiral in the centre. Take the next rope and join it to the end of the first.
6. Press the join together gently and continue the spiral. Work outwards, keeping the coil flat and tight. Leave a small gap between the turns, since it expands slightly. Brush the whole coil with the egg yolk and milk.
7. Brush it thoroughly so it colours evenly. Heat the oven to 180C in good time. Bake it for thirty-five to forty minutes. It should be deep golden and crisp all over. Cover it loosely with foil if the top colours before the middle. Now finishing it, which is done hot. Take it out and brush the warmed honey over the whole surface. Do this while it is hot so the honey soaks in.
8. Scatter the toasted flaked almonds over it. Dust it lightly with icing sugar. Now serving, which is done warm or cool. Let it cool for at least twenty minutes before moving it. Cut it into wedges across the coil. Serve it with mint tea, which is the fixed pairing. It keeps for three days in an airtight tin.

Technique

• Pulse the almonds only to a coarse sand, since over-grinding makes them greasy.
• Keep the pastry under a damp cloth, as filo goes brittle within minutes.
• Brush the honey on while the coil is hot so it soaks in.

Substitutions

• Filo, doubled, in place of warqa.
• Ground almonds from a packet, though whole blanched ones are better.

Variations

• With a little ground mastic in the filling.
• Made as individual small coils.
• With pistachios in place of some of the almonds.

History

Named for the snake it resembles, the coil is built from the same paper-thin warqa sheets used for pastilla.

Frequently asked questions

What is M’hancha?

M’hancha is a dessert from Morocco: coiled snake of warqa pastry filled with almond paste and orange-flower water. Named for the snake it resembles, the coil is built from the same paper-thin warqa sheets used for pastilla.

How long does M’hancha take to make?

M’hancha takes 45 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 large coil, serving 10. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in M’hancha?

Yes, within limits. Filo, doubled, in place of warqa. Ground almonds from a packet, though whole blanched ones are better.

What is the most important thing to get right in M’hancha?

Roll the pastry up over the filling into a long thin cigar. Roll it firmly but do not squeeze the filling out. Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling. Grease a wide round baking tin or a lined tray. Take one filled rope and curl it into a tight spiral in the centre. Take the next rope and join it to the end of the first.