I love spices of all kinds, and even more so when combined with a delicious mixture. Every time I discover another new flavor combination, I immediately like to try it. I make a variety of spices at home. I know that I observe far more than most, because of my fascination with all aspects and flavor combinations. The more foreign spices, the more curious I become. All these people began to live in Guatemala. While the spices were not very unusual, what was interesting about them was the way they were mixed. With chocolate puree, he asks for forgiveness? How about sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds in desserts?
The next step was Indian spices, which was related to finding a whole class of books to read. I dove in head first and examined all the spices and spice mixes I could. Mixtures like Garam Masala are known almost everywhere these days, but how about something like Panch Phoran? Not long ago I heard of a new spice blend from the Middle East called Zahtar. I just happened to mix things up and start using everything. A wonderful thing.
Today it is related to the Egyptian Dukkah. I immediately looked up everything I could find about this new spice. While drawing ideas from many possible percentages, I got a glimpse of the personality of this mix. Many mixtures of Middle Eastern spices like Zahtar or Dukkah can be used in many applications. One of the simplest is to mix oil with oil. Bread, pita or other flat breads are dipped in oil, similarly to the mixture of spices and oil in Italian restaurants. Dukkah can be rubbed over food on grills, pans or grilling. Lamb is often used in the Middle East and is ideal for use with these particular flavors. Sprinkle dukkah over eggs, avocados, vegetables, pasta or herbs for a distinctive flavor.
Ingredients used for Dukkah
What has been discovered is that Dukkah is made from certain elements, with other variations of spices added. The main ingredient is nuts. Hazelnuts are most often used in relation to almonds, sometimes sesame. Sometimes pistachios are used instead of hazelnuts, and chickpeas are still another option. Other nuts can be substituted, such as macadamia nuts, pine nuts or cashews. The most common spices added to this mixture are coriander seeds, cumin, black pepper and salt. Other possible spices commonly added to this mixture are fennel seeds, sweet or smoky Spanish paprika, caraway or nigella. Some recipes call for adding a little Zahtar, and others call for a mixture of spices called Baharat. Some sweeter spices such as cinnamon, cloves or allspice can be used. In some recipes, herbs such as bitter gourd, mint or thyme are added, and they are also heated if they like heat.
My Dukkah recipe
1/2 cup of hazelnut bark
1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
2 teaspoons nigella seeds
2 teaspoons of black pepper
Dried lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon
2 teaspoons salt flakes or salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the hazelnuts on a kitchen towel to remove as much of the dark skin as possible. Place all the nuts in a food processor and process to small chunks.
Separately, heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and add the coriander, cumin, fennel and nigella seeds along with the peppercorns. Toast this in a dry pan, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes, until it’s nicely browned. Place the seeds in a bowl to cool. After it has cooled, put them in a spice mill with a cup of dry lemon and grind them until they are well broken, but not into a fine powder. Alternatively, a mortar and pestle may be used. Add the mixed nut spices with salt and mix well. This makes about 1 1/2 cups of Dukkah.
Give attention. The best mixed with olive oil in bread, but try other ingredients or other mixes to complete the taste.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you along your culinary journey.
source
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http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/salts/oregon-dukkah.asp
