Monday, December 29, 2008

Oh, Dukkah--Where Have You Been All My Life?

dukkah up close

Every once in a while flavors find their way into your kitchen that renew your enthusiasm for good food. I discovered an Egyptian spice mixture called Dukkah on epicurious.com earlier this month. I couldn't resist the name. The ingredients in the mix include some of my favorite spices. The original recipe was for lamb chops--an excellent marriage of flavors. I used the leftovers to sprinkle on soup and almost everything I could think of--it's that good!

Authentic Dukkah is a mix of hazelnuts or chickpeas, seeds and a variety of spices. It is used as a dry dip for olive-oil soaked bread and to flavor everything from salads to meats.

dukkah on platter

The mixture from epicurious was made with pistachios instead of the more traditional hazelnuts or chickpeas. I altered it slightly. It was excellent and so easy to make. I am planning on concocting a new batch for our new year's eve meal this year. It will add an exotic flair to our celebration.

dukkah bowl half


Pistachio Dukkah

1/2 cup roasted salted pistachios, shelled
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a finely coarse mixture is obtained. Store in an airtight container.


Artsy-Foodie's Tip: Spice mixtures keep in airtight containers at room temperature for a limited amount of time depending on the spices' oil content. However, the addition of nuts to the mix makes it more likely to spoil faster. You can still keep it at room temperature but just for a day or so before the oil in the nuts starts to break down. It's best keep it in the refrigerator if you are going to need it at a later date. You can always toast it slightly in a dry pan to revive the flavors. But be careful, it burns fast.






Other great ways to use spices:
Pumpkin Seeds with Spices
Cinnamon Izmir Kofte-Meatballs
Pea Vines and Zucchini Patties

12 comments:

FOODalogue said...

L-O-V-E this idea!

bee said...

i can imagine baking this into a loaf of crusty bread. wish you a fulfilling, fantastic 2009, dear alexa.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Never heard of Dukkah before - sounds enticing, for sure!!

Happy New Year, Alexa!!

Anonymous said...

What an interesting combination! Never heard of that before!

Anonymous said...

Love how your photos show the texture... If only it could tell me how it tastes.. Hope I can find this around here :)

Anonymous said...

Oh I love Dukkah! Its so good! I once bought a ready-mix that also had sesame seeds in it! It is very good on salads and veggie sandwiches.

Mary Ann said...

Alexa- this looks and sounds wonderful. I just want to eat it by the spoonful!

Anonymous said...

I think this dukkah looks really interesting. Since I don't eat lamb, or much meat at all, I am thinking of ways to use this. I just happen to have a huge bag of pistachios (thanks to Costco) and this would be a good use for them.

Shaheen said...

Wow this sounds so interesting! I love hazelnuts - this would be great spice mix.

test it comm said...

That looks good! I tried making and liked Dukkah a while ago. The next time I make it I will have to use pistachios!

Have a great new year!

Marysol said...

Oh, I heart ya.

Alexa, I've heard of Dukkah, but have never actually made it; yours looks so good and the list of ingredients is so short and simple that I'm off to make it.

Anonymous said...

Interesting. I hadn't heard of Dukkah, but I want to try it!

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