When I was a kid, around this time of year my mom made a traditional treat of dates dipped in amazing, home-made ghee with sweet spices and nuts! It was what you ate in Winter, as it was supposed to make you strong & smart ;) yeah right! In season, I ate them with milk every morning before going to school.
It is true that dates have some nutrients which may aid in strength of body and/or mind, such as iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin B-complex, and most of all: high natural sugar for high energy. No wonder they call dates "marathon runners' food." When you add the nuts, they're even better for you!
Here in Seattle, I have been searching for good dates for a while now. Finally when I saw them at my market, I bought in bulk -- organic, Medjool dates!
These Medjools were big, juicy, & great for stuffing. Following the core ingredients of my mother's recipe, I worked sugar, cardamom, pistachios, and almonds into a ghee-cream. It's very much like the butter cream you see in frostings, except ghee is clarified and therefore better than butter.
To keep up with my new feature -- sharing one of my mother's traditional recipes every month -- here are Winter Dates, done slightly differently I will admit! as I dressed them up. I am looking forward to being a kid all over again, though, as I grab a date before work every morning, & appreciate how lucky I am to have been born into a family of great cooks!
Winter Dates
I used:
2 dozen Medjool dates, slitted, pits removed
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup ground raw pistachios and almonds
2-3 tablespoons cold ghee (clarified butter)
a couple pinches of ground cardamom
My Method:
1. Whip up a cold ghee-cream, by beating the ghee and sugar to this consistency:
2. Mix the cardamom, pistachios, and almonds with the ghee-cream. Cream the ghee further while working the mixture in, one quarter cup or so at a time, until it is stiff and ready for piping:
3. Pipe the filling into slit and pitted dates. I filled a Ziploc® bag with the filling, then snipped off a bottom corner for inexpensive and easily controlled piping. Refrigerate your Winter Dates.
I now have two dozen stuffed Medjool dates, updated from my childhood, easing me into Winter workdays or a holiday party :) Thank you, Mom - Enjoy the Indian Winter!!!
16 comments:
love your blog. have added you to our blogroll.
lovelyyyyyy dates delecious
Hey Mango Girl,
Many thanks for adding me to your "power blogs" list. I saw that someone visited my site thanks to yours :)
I'm glad to know about yours now & trying out some of these mouth-watering recipes you're sharing.
All the best!
bee - thanks :) I am glad to have discovered yours too!!
sagari - thank yyyyyou!
ms. proust - you are very welcome! glad you'll be trying some of my recipes, i like what you write and of course the new york connection (upstate ny too!) we both have ;)
I just found you on twitter. Yay!
Your stuffed dates look heavenly...mmmmm.
And pistachios are a favorite around here. Are they in season? Is there a season for pistachios?
Rebecca
I just saw your stuffed dates on Tastespotting.com. Beautiful! I have to try these.
Wow, that's amazing. My grandmother used to slice dates in half and replace the pit with an almond. I love that sweet/crunchy combo. But pistachios....? Wow!
Rebecca - I am so glad you found me :) I love knowing more local bloggers & a sustainable blog - excellent! On pistachios - they usually come from the Middle East or the Mediterranean, so season for us is out of the question - I usually find them year round out here, but I do try to buy the organic and in bulk - that way I know they are the freshest I can get!
Lizzardmoon - Thanks for stopping by and I hope you make them - I am still eating them :)
Hanne Hanne - That is an awesome story about how your grandmother made them - thanks for sharing - I think I might just do that some day - It's like a little surprise inside!
hello :)
I recently read about a similar recipe in a book with traditional Chistmas recipes from all over Europe. The recipe claimed to be from France's Provence region. The difference was that the dates were filled with marzipan and pistachio nuts. I was considering trying tem :) They looked nice :)
But now I like your version more :)
arre khajoor with ghee, that was my dad's fav thing to push down our throats in winter. And yeah the same story ...it makes you strong n smart ..hahaha :P. Its nice to see you are carrying on the tradition :P. Does your hubby like the taste of ghee ?? or you'll be eating them all by yourself.
BTW i'm going for undhiya to my mums on the weekend.... :D after ages :DD
These look amazing! I am going to try it!
Alita - I always notice how different parts of the world eat the same ingredients in just slightly different ways. You use whatever is handy for you, an Indian household always has ghee ;) Glad you like my version!
Kajal - I am guessing you hated these ~ "pushing the throat" ;) But I was always nagging my mom to make them :-P Gosh, my hubby likes ghee more than I do, and I am even prouder of this recipe as he never eats dates, but he loved them this way...In fact, I'm gonna make another batch now!
Yummy undhiyu - I am jealous, I want to see the photos of that Applemint!
Ews - Thanks for stopping by - That is awesome, let me know how you like them when you make them :)
I like your photos! I will have to try your date recipe sometime (and I told my readers about it too). Check out my blog too: whatsinthepot.blogspot.com
Jeannie Rose - Thanks a bunch! I'll check out your site.
Your blog is the work of genius!!! im so glad i found it..
Hi Mango Power Girl...
Found your blog and also just LOVE dates... i make choc balls with the kids and its oh so healthy. Lovely blog!
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