Getting creative in the kitchen continues to be one of my favorite passtimes.
This summer I got into watching New York Times Cooking on Youtube and really enjoyed specifically watching Sohla’s style of cooking and personality. I came across this ancient recipes video where she makes pistachio stuffed dates and I was like, this is a little time consuming but so easy, let’s try it.
And I did and I loved it and I’ve made this recipe a few times over and brought it to work where it’s been an unexpected hit.
I’ve adjusted a couple things to the recipe, like adding lemon juice and honey into the pistachio mix, but it’s nonetheless super simple and delicious. Check it out:
INGREDIENTS
~3-4 tbsp plain, unsalted pistachios, finely crushed
cracked pepper to taste
1 tbsp honey for pistachios
several fat, soft dates
~4 tbsp honey for frying
1 tbsp lemon juice
flaky salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Finely crush your pistachios either with a blender or using a rolling pin and meat tenderizer, or mortar and pestle.
2. In a small bowl, combine the pistachios, cracked pepper, and tablespoon of honey until everything is combined and sticky.
3. Slice your pistachios and take the pits out, then stuff them with pistachio mixture so it fills the space but doesn’t overflow, and squeeze the dates shut.
4. In a pan, heat the honey on low heat and add the squeeze of lemon juice, mixing with a spatula until combined. Place your dates in the pan and turn the heat up to medium low. Flip the dates over after about a couple minutes to soften both sides, but do not let the honey burn.
5. Turn the heat on low or off and take the dates out of the pan onto a ceramic plates or parchment paper. Sprinkle with flaky salt while still hot. Enjoy!
