Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Do you Dukkah?


Have you ever heard of dukkah? Dukkah is, by definition, an Egyptian dry mixture of chopped nuts, seeds and Middle Eastern spices and flavors.

It most commonly uses Hazelnuts or Chickpeas as a base & then a mixture of sesame seeds, cumin seeds, corriander seeds, black peppercorns, & salt. It is traditionally eaten with bread & olive oil. I found my recipe through Closet Cooking, who also used almonds, which I really liked. I dressed some pork tenderloin with olive oil, salt, & ancho chili powder. Then I coated it with the dukkah. Next, I seared it in some olive oil on the stove & then transfered it to a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. I then served it with brussel sprouts & some left over sauces from my husband. Next time I think I will serve it with some sweet potatoes!

The fun part about Dukkah is you can tailor it to your personal preference. I think next time I will reduce the amount of cumin. I can't wait to see how my dukkah evolves for each dish.

You will have enough left over to keep for future uses. I plan to try it later this week on chicken. Here is the recipe:

Dukkah.

1/2 c hazelnuts
1/2 c almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tbs corriander seeds
1 tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs black peppercorns
1 tsp kosher salt

*roast nuts in oven on 350 for 15 minutes
*toast seeds & spices, excluding salt, on stovetop for about 3 minutes
*once cooled, transfer all to food processor & chop.
*add salt

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