Ingredients
- 480gr Plain Flour
- 100gr Granulated Sugar
- 300gr Stork
- 1 Lemon zest
- 3 Eggs (yolk)
- 300gr Pure ground almonds
- 300gr Granulated Sugar
- Lemon zest
- 3 Egg (whites)
- 1 tsp Vanilla essence
- 1/2 tsp Almond essence
‘Jum il-Mejtin Kollha’ or ‘All Souls’ Day’ falls on the 2nd of November and of course, we celebrate this by making something yummy. One of the most traditional Maltese pastry recipes is Għadam (bones) or Għadam tal-Mejtin (dead people’s bones) – I prefer just calling them Għadam ta’ Novembru – are literally pastries filled with almond paste shaped like bones. The recipe is practically identical to the Figolli recipe, but of course the dough is shaped to resemble a bone. Have you ever tried these? Let me know in the comments!
Steps
1 Done | I start with the pasty: In a bowl, I mix together the flour, sugar and lemon zest. Then I add the Stork margarine (room temperature and cut in cubes). I use the rubbing-in method and lifting high to let the air come in the mixture. When the mixture resembles fine crumbs, I then add the egg yolks and form the dough. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. |
2 Done | To prepare the filling: mix together the ground almonds, sugar and lemon zest. Once combined, I add the the almond & vanilla essence and then the egg whites to form a dough-like texture. |
3 Done | Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to medium thickness. If you don’t have the mould, like me, you can just use a knife to cut out rectangle shapes. Then, using your hands, lay a layer of the almost paste and brush a little water before adding another layer of pastry to cover. Pinch the middle of the rectangles to form the bone-like shape. |
4 Done | Bake in 180C for about 25 minutes. Let them cool completely. You may wish to leave them as is or cover with white royal icing for decoration. Yum! |
