Our family is happy to announce the start of a new generation! Our nephew and his wife had a darling baby boy recently, and we just returned from attending his christening.
Being strong on tradition, my sister and I prepared a recipe that’s always been served at family christenings … hassa. I’ve written about – and posted – this recipe before but did not have a recipe photo to attach.
Sis and I worked as a long-distance team to prepare the hassa. I provided the powdered chick peas and spices (from FL), and my sister got the candied ingredients from her favorite Middle Eastern store in NJ. Once we got together, we combined our ingredients to create the final product.
Hassa
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| Hassa |
1 lb. unsalted chick peas, roasted and ground into a powder*
1/3 lb. candy-covered chick peas (set some aside for decoration) *
1/3 lb. candy-covered almonds (set some aside for decoration) *
1/4 lb. candy-covered fennel or anise seeds *
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| Candy-covered ingredients |
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground anise seed
½ tsp. ground fennel seed
dash ground cardamom*
½ cup powdered sugar
* The starred ingredients can be found in most Middle Eastern grocery stores.
Directions:
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| Grinding chick peas into a powder |
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the powdered chick peas, and mix thoroughly.
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| Sifting and regrinding chick peas |
NOTE: Spices can be adjusted according to your taste preference.