Yield: 8 servings
| Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 10 | Coques or wild artichokes* |
| 2 quarts | Fresh milk |
| ⅓ cup | Granulated sugar more or less; to taste |
| ¼ cup | Orange flower water up to 1/2 cup; to taste |
*Cynara humilis.
Break off the outer leaves of the coques and trim carefully - they are very spiky. Remove the base and set the chokes aside. (If desired, let the chokes dry in the sun for a few days, then crumble them and pack them in a cheesecloth bag).
Heat the milk, with the sugar, to lukewarm.
Pound the hairy chokes to a pulp in the mortar. Wrap the pulp in cheesecloth and swirl around in the lukewarm milk, then gently squeeze the bag to extract all the brown juice. Remove and discard the bag, and stir the orange flower water into the milk. Cover and set in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, until set. Serve cool or chilled in cups.
Wolfert writes: "Raipe is a type of sweetened junket or 'yogurt' in which the milk thickens and 'firms up' on account of a most unusual ingredient: the hairy centers, or 'chokes,' of wild Moroccan artichokes. Unfortunately these wild artichokes, called coques by the Moroccans, are not available here, but if you get to Morocco and find ten or so of them you should not hesitate to let the chokes dry in the sun, bring them home, and make raipe - it's simple to prepare and absolutely delicious."
From "Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco" by Paula Wolfert. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1987. ISBN 0-06-091396-7. Pg. 40.
Posted by Cathy Harned.
Submitted By CATHY HARNED On 10-17-94