Tuesday 14 December 2010

Dukkah and Weck



My two new obsessions. Dukkah is a delicious North African spice and nut mix often used with olive oil as a dipping condiment. It has a natural affinity with chick peas so is a good partner to hummus or scattered over a warm chickpea and wilted spinach salad.

Is it possible to covet a jar? Weck make the most charming range of jars but they're infuriatingly difficult to get hold of in the UK. Each neatly proportioned vessel comes with a rubber seal, neatly-fitted glass lid and clips to seal. I can't pretend to understand why I find them so alluring; perhaps it's something to do with the element of do-it-yourself in the closure clips.  I love a bit of technical detailing.

After much searching I am now the owner of five small - but perfectly formed - jars which I am selflessly gifting away this Chistmas, filled to the brim with home-made dukkah or truffles.  Merry Christmas!

DUKKAH

½ cup hazelnuts
¼ cup whole almonds
¼ cup coriander seed
¼ cup black or white sesame
2½ tbsp whole cumin
1½ tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1½ tsp sea salt flakes

1) Toast the nuts together in a dry frying pan then decant into a bowl. Next toast all the other ingredients except the mint and salt in the same pan until they smell nutty and cooked, then leave to cool with nuts, mint and salt. Now grind the ingredients to a rough powder - it shouldn't be smooth though. You can also use a spice grinder to do this but be careful not to overprocess the mixture.

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