Sukkariyya

My Redaction

2 c sugar 2 T rosewater 3 T water 5 oz almonds

Take slivered or sliced almonds, stir them in a hot frying pan without oil for about 3-5 minutes. Use a spatula, and stir continuously to avoid browning or burning. Crush in a mortar and pestle (or a food processor-much easier!), producing something between ground and chopped.

Cook sugar, water, and rosewater mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly, until it gets sticky but does not form a ball. It should look liquidy, be at the beginning of a boil, and, if you're brave enough to do it, when you touch it, your fingers feel sticky. Dump in nuts, stir, turn out on a pan. It's good hot or cold, and when it sits for a while, it can be broken up like candy. The original recipe called for 5 T rosewater, but I replaced 3 T of that with plain water because it tasted like perfume. If you don't like rosewater, you can probably replace it with orange water or some other fruit water.

Serves... well, a lot. For a feast, two batches makes enough for 100 people to have a small taste, because it's very very sweet. (The original called for being sprinkled with more sugar, but I thought that was too overdone.