Medjool Dates Stuffed with Pistachio Mastic Paste

The holiday season involves endless to-do lists, full calendars, everyone wants you to bake something, the neighbors expect a little treat (especially if you are a food blogger lol) and feeling overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I try to keep my lists and things to make to a minimum so the holidays are more enjoyed and feel less like a chore (expect deep cleaning the house before everyone shows up on Christmas Day).

So I developed a few recipes that you can either make in advance or just like this one take minutes to assemble. And the pistachio paste can be used in so many different ways which is a big bonus. you can even gift it in jars (just add a ribbon to show effort) its so luxurious and not expected.

This is a simple yet a festive bite size dessert to serve during the holidays and to include in your cookie gift boxes. It’s simple and uses few In fact only 3 luxurious ingredients.

The secret to this treat is two things emerald green pistachios and the best medjool dates you can find. This type of dates are sweet and chewy and taste like the best caramel you have every had.

The Secret to a vibrant green paste:

For the brightest green pistachios, it’s best to blanch the nuts first and remove the skins. A process that’s so simple once the pistachios sit in the water for a few minutes their skin will come off pretty easily. In a bowl of hot water add 1 cup of raw pistachios. Let it sit for 20 minutes or so until the water is cool enough to handle. Drain, and rub the nuts between a dishtowel or between your fingers to remove the skin it should come off pretty easily.

Medjool Dates

Stuffed with pistachio mastic paste

How to make pistachio paste?

Mastic: An aromatic gum or resin that exudes from the bark of a Mediterranean tree. Often used in desert and as flavoring.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw shelled pistachios

• 1 tsp Mastic paste or 2-3 mastic pearls (available at Middle Eastern stores or online)

• Honey or simple syrup to taste

Mastic paste: made out of mastic resin and sugar

Directions:

• In a food processor, put shelled pistachios and process for a minute, until they turn into fine crumbs.

• Add 1 tsp of mastic paste. If you don’t have mastic paste just use 2-3 mastic pearls with 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar to mortar and crush until you get a fine powder. Add the mastic powder to the pistachios

• Add 2 tsp of honey or simple syrup (which is equal parts water to sugar boiled down until it’s syrupy) to taste.

• The dates are sweet enough so if you don’t want to sweeten your pistachios paste you don’t have to it’s completely up to you.

• If the mixture is too thick add a bit of water 1 tsp at a time until you get the consistency you like.

• Make sure you scrape the bowl in between pulsing

• The pistachio paste will go through stages: whole nuts, crumbs, powder, paste. And the entire process takes less than 2-3 minutes.

• To make your pistachios into a smooth nut butter keep grinding until the pistachios release their oil and become a smooth, creamy paste, adding a bit of water to help it out.

• You can use pistachio paste for so many things to flavor ice cream, cookies and pastries etc. or even eat it with the spoon.

To assemble:

Palestinian Medjool Dates from Jericho

Make a lengthwise slit in each date, carefully push the sides to open the fruit and remove the pit.

Stuff each date with 1 tsp of the pistachio paste.

If you are assembling your dates in advance make sure you cover them well so they don’t dry out.

Variations:

I have also added 1 tsp of the pistachio paste to a candy wrapper (you can buy the wrappers at craft or home stores) and wrapped it tightly for a delicious pistachio bonbon little treat.

Storage:

Store your pistachio paste in an airtight container in the fridge. The pistachio paste should last several weeks. You can also leave the paste in a cool pantry. If the oil separates just make sure you stir it with a spoon before using.

#pistachio #pistachiopaste #bonbons #stuffeddates #medjooldates #mastic #simpledesserts #nobaketreats #nobake #christmasgifts #holidaygifts

Wheat Berry Sweet Soup with Spices and Dried fruits "Burbara"

Eid il-Burbara

or Saint Barbara's Day (Arabic: عيد البربارة‎), is a holiday annually celebrated on December 4 among Middle Eastern Christians. Traditionally as I read in lebanon, adults and children wearing masks and disguised in costumes go around houses in the villages dancing and singing the story of Saint Barbara; and in each house, they are offered food specially prepared for that feast. It is celebrated in honour of the Christian Saint, Saint Barbara. The general belief among Christians is that Saint Barbara disguised herself as many different characters to elude the Romans who were persecuting her.

The story of Saint Barbara is a pretty interesting one. According to Fanoos.com Saint Barbara was born in the mid-3d century in present-day Lebanon or Turkey. She was the daughter of a rich pagan. According to legend, Saint Barbara witnessed a miracle while fleeing from her father, who had kept her locked up in a tower. She ran through a freshly planted wheat field, which grew instantly to cover her track.

Middle Eastern Christians recreate this miracle symbolically by planting different seeds and grains (wheat, barley, lentils, beans, chick peas, etc.) in soaked cotton wool. On Christmas, shoots from the seeds planted on St. Barbara's Day are used to decorate the nativity scene. What part of Saint Barbara's story is correct, I have no idea, so its best to stick to my favorite part; the Wheat Berry soup. Saint Barbra’s day, is seen as the start of Christmas celebrations and so the tradition of preparing the wheat berry soup or porridge continued and with time it got its famous name “Burbara”.

The soup

Wheat berries sweet soup because it’s Dec 4 and all Christians in the Middle East celebrate the feast of Saint Barbara and make this sweet treat in her memory. The wheat berries get soaked overnight in water. Then boiled till tender. I boil the wheat berries with a cinnamon stick and star anise. When the berries are half way cooked through I add the chopped apricots and raisins, fennel and anise all freshly ground to get the most aromatic treat and add a little bit of sugar to taste. The dried fruits will plump and become so juicy. In the Middle East we call it “Burbara” named after Saint Barbara. The best part about this treat is the garnishes. I love it with fresh pomegranates, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, coconuts, and more diced apricots. My grandmother loves to add sweet candied chickpeas so crunchy and colorful and a taste of childhood. Hope you give this a try, it's so comforting on those cold winter mornings or perfect warm as a night cap. Plus who wouldn't want a sweet soup anyways!!!

Ingredients:

1 pound wheat berries

3/4 cup sugar (adjust to your taste) start with half a cup you can always add more

2 cups chopped dried fruits (apricots and raisins are pretty traditional but you can add cranberries or whatever you like)

2 tbls fresh ground anise seeds

2 tbls fresh ground fennel seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

2 star anise whole

1 cinnamon stick

Garnishes:

Blanched almonds

Pine nuts

Pistachios

Shredded unsweetened Coconut

Fresh Pomegranate Seeds

Sugar coated candy’s

Directions:

1. Pick over your wheat berries looking for any shells or impurities

2. Rinse the wheat few times, the husks will often float to the top so make sure you discard that.

3. Pre soak your wheat berries over night in cold water. Pre soaking your wheat will shave off a bit of the cooking time and yield to plump grains.

4. Drain the water. Add your berries to a pot large enough, add fresh water to cover. For every cup of wheat berries add 2 cups of water. Stir often and if water evaporates add more so the grains don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

5. Add cinnamon stick and star anise.

6. Bring the mixture to boil. Lower the heat to simmer, Cover the pot and cook until the wheat berries are tender about an hour checking after the first 30 minutes. stir often as the wheat berries like to stick to the bottom of the pot.

7. During the last half hour of cooking add all the flavorings: Spices, and dried fruits.

The mixture will thicken a bit, the fruits will plump up making for a delicious serving of grains and fruits. Serve hot or cold with any of the suggested garnishes or whatever you like.

This sweet hearty soup is delicious served for breakfast.

Recipe notes

What are wheat berries?

Wheat berries are a true whole grain! You may not recognize the name, but without these kernels, there would be no flour. Wheat berries are whole wheat kernels. They are thick, short grains similar to brown rice. Wheat berries are loaded with nutrients and very easy to prepare.

What do they taste like?

When boiled, and cooked wheat berries have a chewy bite and subtle nutty, earthy flavor. They are perfect in sweet and savory applications.

When cooking wheat berries keep in mind few things:

The specific kind of wheat berry you buy, as well as how old it is, will influence the cooking time. Start checking your berries at about 30 minutes and keep checking every five minutes after that until they reach a tender, yet chewy consistency.

If you have pearled or semi-pearled varieties, it will definitely need less cooking time. Start checking them, for doneness at 15-20 minutes.

To get the most nutrients out of your wheat berries:

Be sure to get the whole variety and not the pearled type which has been milled to remove the outer bran: a process that makes wheat berries quicker to cook but removes much of their fiber.

#driedfruit #saintbarbara #middleeasterntraditions #christmas #beginingofchristmas #burbara #sweetporridge #anise #fenell #apricots #raisins

Pomegranate Citrus Glazed Turkey & all your turkey questions answered

Everything I learned about Thanksgiving food is from my wonderful mother in law. who patiently over the years cooked with me everything she learned from her mother and grandmother growing up in Minnesota. As years went by I learned to really enjoy every traditional dish served and put my touch on it. Today I am sharing with you everything I know about the bird, brining, thawing, what turkey to buy, and how much and of course how to roast a delicious juicy turkey every single time. Pomegranate citrus glazed turkey roasted with ghee is now an absolute family favorite. It’s a bit sweet and a bit tangy and really really flavorful. Although I am not hosting thanksgiving this year I am on dishes duty at my sister in laws house :) i thought its a perfect opportunity to share with you this delicious recipe and more importantly this technique. To make sure that you too have a juicy, and flavorful turkey every single time.

And my kids won’t mind a whole turkey, I might even make their favorite side cream corn for Monday dinner.

To thaw your turkey from frozen:

It’s best to thaw your turkey in the fridge. Rule of thumb for every five pounds of turkey allow 24 hours to thaw in the fridge.

Dry vs. Wet Brine your Turkey

A wet brine:

Is when you submerge a hunk of meat in seasoned salt-Water solution. It is a great way to add flavor and moisture to your meat.

A dry brine:

You are going to add your salt and seasoning directly on the bird but and it does not require any water. Instead, a dry brine involves rubbing the salt, seasonings, and/or sugar directly onto the meat and skin, and then letting the meat rest in the fridge. What happens is:

1. The salt draws out the meat juices.

2. Next, the salt dissolves into the juices, essentially turning into a “natural” brine.

3. Cover your Turkey and let it brine in the fridge for 1-2 days

4. And finally, uncover your turkey and let it air dry in the fridge for another day. What happens is that the seasoned brine gets reabsorbed into the meat and starts breaking down tough muscle proteins. The result is juicy, tender, well seasoned turkey meat .

I prefer this method over the wet brine because:

• You can prep your Turkey ahead of time.

• There’s no messy water. Can never find a container big enough to hold the turkey and also fit in my overstuffed thanksgiving fridge. Just place your dry brined Turkey on roasting pan or I even like to put it in an oversized zip bag this way I make sure it doesn’t touch anything else and avoid cross contamination.

• This method will yield to a delicious and moist and tender turkey.

• Letting your turkey air dry uncovered in the fridge in the last day will draw out all the moisture and let the brine get absorbed back into the meat which yields into perfectly crispy skin.

Before you brine pay attention to your ingredients:

1. Type of Turkey: for brining the bird make sure you use fresh or frozen turkey that's not kosher or pre- salted if you are not sure make sure you read the label otherwise your meat will be way too salty.

2. Type of salt: Pay attention to the type of salt you use. In my recipes I use kosher Morton salt, which is coarser than regular table salt. So if you are using fine table salt make sure you use half the amount this recipe calls for.

General rules to cook by when making a turkey:

Salt: For every 5 pounds of turkey, you will need 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Seasoning: for every 5 pounds of turkey use 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs or 1 tsp of fresh herbs. My favorite herbs for poultry: sage, Rosemary, Thyme

To Dry-Brine a Turkey

Ingredients:

• 1 (14-to-16 pound) thawed if frozen whole turkey (make sure it’s not kosher or pre-salted)

• 3 tablespoons kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp of sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbs, such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, or a blend of the three.

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Mix the dry brine ingredients together.

• Take the turkey out of the packaging and place on a cutting board. Remove the giblets and neck from inside the cavity and discard or save for something else.

• Pat the turkey dry. Pat the outside of the turkey dry with paper towels.

• Loosen the skin. Using your fingers get under the skin and loosen its loosen the skin over the breast and between the thighs

• Season the turkey from the inside out making sure you also season the cavity.

• Refrigerate. Place the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan or large zip bag and refrigerate 1- 3 days. Cover it for the first day to draw out the moisture and creating the natural brine. Then uncovered for a day so the moisture get absorbed right back into the meat.

Pomegranate Molasses and Citrus Glazed Turkey

Serving: 10-12

Total cooking time: 3:30-4:00 hours

Ingredients:

Inside the turkey’s cavity:

Half a lemon

Half an orange

Half an Apple

One onion halved

2 stalks of celery chopped

Garlic bulb cut in half

2 bay leaves

Fresh thyme, and sage

4 tbls Ghee

1 cup chicken or turkey broth.

Pomegranate molasses citrus glaze:

1 cup pomegranate molasses

Juice of one orange about 2 tbls

juice of one lemon

1 tbls Honey

Salt and freshy ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves finely minced

1/2 tsp dried sage

1 bay leaf

Directions:

Bring you turkey to room temperature. Take your turkey out of the fridge an hour before you plan to roast it.

Preheat oven to 450F

• Pat your Turkey dry with paper towels make sure your turkey is as dry as possible so it browns nicely.

• Stuff the turkeys cavity with all the flavorings (Apple, Orange, onion, garlic, sage, celery, bay leaf and thyme)

• Tie the turkey legs together with a piece of butcher's twine and tuck the wings back so they don’t burn.

• Rub the ghee all over the turkey, pull the skin away from the breast making sure you don’t tear it and rub underneath the skin as well.

• Add a cup of broth to the roasting pan and roast the turkey for 30 minutes at 450°F.

• After 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 350°F and continue roasting

• Tip: to avoid over browning especially on the breast: Coat a piece of foil large enough to cover turkey breast with nonstick spray. Cover breast with foil, coated side down.

• In the meantime make the glaze:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer about 5 to 8 minutes until slightly thickened and syrupy. Strain the mixture through a sieve and set aside to cool.

• After turkey has roasted for 2 hours, brush pomegranate glaze mixture over turkey. Continue to brush turkey with pomegranate glaze mixture every 20-30 minutes until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 °F.

To serve:

• When the turkey is done, let it rest covered for at least 20 minutes so the juices get redistributed back into the meat.

• transfer to a cutting board or serving plate, carve, and serve.

Your Turkey Cheat sheet so you can be ready for the big day.. You got this!

• Take your turkey out of the fridge an hour before you plan to roast it.

• Unstuffed turkey: 13 minutes of cooking time for every pound of turkey

• 15 minutes per pound if stuffed.

• The turkey is done when it registers a minimum of 165° in the thickest part of the thigh.

• Serving suggestion: 1.25 - 1.5 pound per person

• Rest the turkey for at least 20 minutes before carving.

#thanksgiving #pomegranatemolases #thanksgivingsides #turkey101 #turkeyQQ #turkey #brineturkey #drybrineturkey #juicyturkey