M’hanncha
Almond Filo Coil
M’hanncha, meaning ‘snake’, is an almond paste-filled pastry made with Morocco’s warkha pastry (filo pastry is a good substitute). The pastry is served at celebrations, with guests breaking off pieces from the coil. Serve with mint tea or coffee.
SERVES 8
1 small egg, separated
200 g (7 oz/2 cups) ground almonds
30 g (1 oz/1/3 cup) flaked almonds
125 g (5 oz/1 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon natural almond extract
1 tablespoon rosewater
90 g (3 oz) unsalted butter or smen
9 sheets filo pastry
pinch of ground cinnamon
icing (confectioners’) sugar, extra, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Lightly grease a 20 cm (8 in) round spring-form tin.
Put the egg white in a bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the ground almonds and flaked almonds, the icing sugar, lemon zest, almond extract and rosewater. Mix to a paste.
Divide the mixture into four and roll each portion on a cutting board into a sausage shape about 5 cm (2 in) shorter than the length of filo pastry – about 42 cm (16½ in) long and 1 cm (½ in) thick. If the paste is too sticky to roll, dust the cutting board with icing sugar.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then keep it warm by placing the saucepan in another pan filled with hot water.
Remove one sheet of filo pastry and place the rest in the folds of a dry tea towel (dish towel) or cover them with plastic wrap to prevent them drying out. Brush the filo sheet with melted butter, then cover with another sheet of filo, brushing the top with butter. Ease one of the almond rolls off the board and onto the buttered pastry, laying it along the length of the pastry, 2.5 cm (1 in) in from the base and sides. Roll up to enclose the filling. Form into a coil and sit the coil, seam-side down, in the centre of the tin, tucking under the unfilled ends to enclose the filling. Continue in this manner to make three more pastry coils, shaping each around the smaller coil to make one large coil. If the coil breaks, cut small pieces of the remaining filo sheet, brush with a little egg yolk and press the filo onto the breaks.
Add the cinnamon to the remaining egg yolk and brush all over the coil. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until golden brown. Dust with the extra icing sugar if desired and serve warm. This sweet pastry can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
