Dates are an amazing storehouse of nutrition: just about everything a body needs. Iron, vitamins, fiber, potassium and natural sweetness that can reduce your desire to overeat. That's why they're such a terrific fast-breaking food.
You can just pop one in your mouth, beware the pit, and chew away to paradise. You can also pile them around cheese. I've started dressing up a plate of grilled Halloumi on a bed of arugula with a date or two. They sweeten up yogurt and oatmeal, as good partners for fresh walnuts. I also chop them into salads, any excuse for one, but my favorite is bitter arugula with thin red onion rings, fresh pea shoots, toasted walnuts and chopped dates with a hint of fresh mint. If you've got frisee around, chop in too. The person who introduced me to dates, not knowing I had never met fresh ones before, always combines them in salad with citrus: tangerine, orange, mandarin.
Here are some of my favorite recipes, and I do mean favorite thanks to the dates.
Celery Date Salad
This one was under the celery post but here it is again.
erves 6
8 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal. Chop the leaves too.
6 fresh dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 c roasted almonds, halve. Whole is okay too.
1/2 sm red onion, diced
2 tsp minced fresh mint leaves
pinch red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz shaved Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 c extra good olive oil
Combine
celery and leaves, dates, almonds, onion and pepper flakes in a serving
bowl. Moisten with the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add
the cheese and olive oil and lastly stir in the mint leaves.
Lamb with Fresh Dates
This has been my new all time company dish.
Anatolian Hot Bulghur with Fresh Dates
another great party dish
4 cups pitted dates (about 1 lb)½ cup ghee
Optional: splash of rose water or orange flower water1½ cup whole almonds or walnuts
pinch of ground cinnamon2 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Optional: 1 tbsp lightly toasted shredded coconut
Line an 8” x 8” square pan with parchment or waxed paper, bringing it up the sides so you can grab it easily. Very lightly grease the paper with Crisco, corn oil or canola oil. If you are using coconut, sprinkle ½ tbsp around.
Toast the nuts on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until you can smell their aroma. While warm, coarsely chop and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Coarsely chop dates (you can use the pulse button on a food processor). Melt ghee in a large heavy gauge pot over medium heat. Lower heat and add chopped dates and optional fragrant water, stirring to blend. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the dates soften into a thick paste. Put half the date mixture into the square pan. Run cold water on an icing spatula or large spoon and use the cold, damp instrument to spread the hot dates evenly in the pan.
Pour chopped nuts on top. Put the spatula or spoon under cold water again and use it to spread them evenly, and also pushing them down into the dates. Cover the nuts with a layer of the remaining date paste, spreading it evenly with a cold, wet spatula or spoon. Push this layer down into the nut layer. Sprinkle sesame seeds and optional remaining coconut on top and lightly press them down into the dates. Set the pan aside to cool for at least one hour. Pull the parchment or waxed paper up so the date bars come out of the pan and can be put on a flat cutting surface. Cut into small bars or squares.
Kashmiri Compote
from Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking
2 tbsp ghee or butter
Lamb with Fresh Dates
This has been my new all time company dish.
Serves 8-10
3 lbs cubed lamb
5 lg garlic cloves, minced
2” fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp butter
1 lg onion, sliced into thin rings (you’ll need about 2
cups)
Pinch saffron
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp dried ginger
1/8 tsp ground cayenne (1/4 if you like hotter)
1/2 c chopped fresh dates plus 24 whole Medjool dates (yes,
with pits)
1/2 cup raisins (preferably golden) soaked in hot water with
1 tsp rose water
Optionally: 1/2 c pomegranate arils
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Season lamb generously with salt and pepper.
Combine garlic, fresh ginger, paprika and cumin in a small
bowl, then smear it all over the lamb. Let the lamb sit in that on the counter
for at least an hour or wrap it and leave it overnight in the fridge. Return to
room temperature to continue.
In a Dutch oven or large heavy gauge lidded casserole (think
Le Creuset), melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saffron and generous
salt. Sauté until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and
continue cooking another minute. Add lamb and sauté until meat and onions are
lightly browned.
Heat oven to 400º. To the lamb pot, add cinnamon sticks,
dried ginger, chopped dates and enough water to just cover everything. Bring to
a simmer, cover the pot tightly with a lid and put in the hot oven. Bake at 400
for 1/2 hr, then reduce heat to 350º. Check liquid and add water if it has
fallen below the meat. Continue to bake another hr until the meat is almost
falling apart.
Remove from the oven and skim off any obvious surface fat.
Add the whole dates, stir, cover the pot and put it on a burner with medium/low
heat. Cook about 5 minutes until dates are plump from the sauce. Remove from
heat. To serve, pour into a large bowl, top with drained
raisins, optional arils and cilantro
Anatolian Hot Bulghur with Fresh Dates
another great party dish
Serves 6-8 (cut in half for 3-4)
2 cups coarse grain bulgur
4 tbsp butter or ghee (divided 3 & 1)
2 med/lg carrots peeled and julienned into matchsticks
¾ cup blanched slivered almonds
3 tbsp pine nuts
3 tbsp pistachio nutmeats (raw or roasted)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
¾ lb (12 oz) dates, pitted and coarsely chopped (use soft
dates)
¼ lb (4 oz) dried figs, coarsely chopped (bite-size pieces)
1 tsp rose water
1 tsp salt
½ bunch cilantro, leaves only chopped for garnish
8 oz plain thick yogurt for serving
Put the bulgur in a large bowl and pour in enough boiling
water to cover it with 1 extra inch. Stir to blend. Cover the bowl and let the
bulgur steam for 25 minutes.
In a large heavy skillet or casserole, melt 3 tbsp of butter
or ghee over medium heat. Add the carrots, lower heat slightly so they don’t
burn, and sauté —stirring from time to time--until they’re soft and buttery,
about 10 minutes.
Add cinnamon and all nuts. Stir to blend; sauté on low heat
another minute so the nuts begin to color. Add dates, figs and rose water.
Blend everything.
Drain the bulgur and add it to the pot with salt and 1 tbsp
butter. Mix everything until the fruits,
nuts and salt are distributed through the bulgur. Turn off the heat. Put a
dishtowel across the top of the pot, put a lid on the pot and let the contents
steam for at least 5 minutes.
Transfer bulgur to a large serving bowl and stir in chopped
cilantro.
Serve the yogurt one of three ways: make a well in the
bulgur and pour it in, or make a well in the bulgur and insert a small bowl
filled with yogurt, or simply pass the yogurt around on its own.
Rhubarb Date Chutney
This recipe was filed in the rhubarb post, not long ago. It is really yummy with hard cheeses!
Stuffed Dates
There are two ways I like to do this. One is to slit open the date, leaving a hinge on the back end; pop out the pit and stuff the date with soft goat cheese. Seal it back up. If you are not vegetarian, you can then wrap the filled date in a thin slice of Iberico or Prosciutto. The other option once you've stuffed it, is to bury it in ground lamb mixed with cumin, smoked paprika, garlic, salt and minced cilantro--making what looks like an oval meatball. You pan fry these "kofta" in olive or corn oil until brown on all sides--about 2 minutes per side, then serve warm on toothpicks or on a meze/tapas/antipasto plate. The date and cheese inside the meat makes a delightful surprise.
The other option is to forgo the more traditional goat cheese for sweeter mascarpone. You can actually half the date, remove the pit and slather each half with mascarpone, then top them with finely minced fresh mint to serve. Or you can seal the two halves together using the mascarpone as the glue. Either way, these are seriously scrumptious before or after the meal.
Stuffed Dates
There are two ways I like to do this. One is to slit open the date, leaving a hinge on the back end; pop out the pit and stuff the date with soft goat cheese. Seal it back up. If you are not vegetarian, you can then wrap the filled date in a thin slice of Iberico or Prosciutto. The other option once you've stuffed it, is to bury it in ground lamb mixed with cumin, smoked paprika, garlic, salt and minced cilantro--making what looks like an oval meatball. You pan fry these "kofta" in olive or corn oil until brown on all sides--about 2 minutes per side, then serve warm on toothpicks or on a meze/tapas/antipasto plate. The date and cheese inside the meat makes a delightful surprise.
The other option is to forgo the more traditional goat cheese for sweeter mascarpone. You can actually half the date, remove the pit and slather each half with mascarpone, then top them with finely minced fresh mint to serve. Or you can seal the two halves together using the mascarpone as the glue. Either way, these are seriously scrumptious before or after the meal.
Berber Date Bars
from Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking
Makes about 24, which is never enough!
4 cups pitted dates (about 1 lb)½ cup ghee
Optional: splash of rose water or orange flower water1½ cup whole almonds or walnuts
pinch of ground cinnamon2 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Optional: 1 tbsp lightly toasted shredded coconut
Line an 8” x 8” square pan with parchment or waxed paper, bringing it up the sides so you can grab it easily. Very lightly grease the paper with Crisco, corn oil or canola oil. If you are using coconut, sprinkle ½ tbsp around.
Toast the nuts on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until you can smell their aroma. While warm, coarsely chop and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Coarsely chop dates (you can use the pulse button on a food processor). Melt ghee in a large heavy gauge pot over medium heat. Lower heat and add chopped dates and optional fragrant water, stirring to blend. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the dates soften into a thick paste. Put half the date mixture into the square pan. Run cold water on an icing spatula or large spoon and use the cold, damp instrument to spread the hot dates evenly in the pan.
Pour chopped nuts on top. Put the spatula or spoon under cold water again and use it to spread them evenly, and also pushing them down into the dates. Cover the nuts with a layer of the remaining date paste, spreading it evenly with a cold, wet spatula or spoon. Push this layer down into the nut layer. Sprinkle sesame seeds and optional remaining coconut on top and lightly press them down into the dates. Set the pan aside to cool for at least one hour. Pull the parchment or waxed paper up so the date bars come out of the pan and can be put on a flat cutting surface. Cut into small bars or squares.
Kashmiri Compote
from Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking
Serves 6
2 tbsp ghee or butter
¼ cup whole almonds
¼ cup cashews, lightly toasted
½ cup raisins
1/3 cup coconut, chopped or shredded
8 dates, pitted
10 dried small apricots
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
½ cup water
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated or turbinado sugar
½ tsp ground cardamom or 6 crushed pods
½ tsp ground cardamom or 6 crushed pods
½ tsp saffron threads
1 tsp fresh orange peel, minced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
optional garnishes: candied ginger, fresh mint leaves, fried cheese.
In a medium saucepan, heat the ghee over medium flame. Add almonds, cashews, raisins, coconut, dates, apricots and peppercorns. Lightly sauté for one minute. Add water, sugars, orange peel, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir until the water boils. Lower heat and cook for five minutes. Soak the saffron in 2 tsp of hot water, crush it and pour into the fruits. Stir in lemon juice and continue cooking another 5 minutes, until the juice has become syrupy. Remove from heat. Fish out the cinnamon stick. Serve warm plain or garnished. (Suggestion: serve over cornmeal pound cake, oatmeal or pancakes.)
optional garnishes: candied ginger, fresh mint leaves, fried cheese.
In a medium saucepan, heat the ghee over medium flame. Add almonds, cashews, raisins, coconut, dates, apricots and peppercorns. Lightly sauté for one minute. Add water, sugars, orange peel, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir until the water boils. Lower heat and cook for five minutes. Soak the saffron in 2 tsp of hot water, crush it and pour into the fruits. Stir in lemon juice and continue cooking another 5 minutes, until the juice has become syrupy. Remove from heat. Fish out the cinnamon stick. Serve warm plain or garnished. (Suggestion: serve over cornmeal pound cake, oatmeal or pancakes.)
COMING SOON: TROUT STUFFED WITH FRESH DATES
haven't tried it yet
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