Pistachio Dukkah for #HandCraftedEdibles

In an effort to make all of my holiday gifts this year, we are sharing recipes for hand-crafted edibles. Over the course of twelve weeks, we'll be sharing recipes that you can make at home to give to friends and loved ones, or things to serve at holiday parties. We hope you'll follow along for inspiration. You can find out more information, including the schedule: here.

This week, we are "going nuts" and sharing all sorts of recipes with nuts. Think spiced nuts or nutty fruit cake or whatever floats your nutty boat!

Here's what we're posting this week...

• Amy's Cooking Adventures shared her Salted Chocolate Cashew Butter
• Cookaholic Wife cooked up Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds
• Making Miracles made Honey Roasted Almonds
• Christmas Tree Lane posted Crockpot Spiced Nuts
• A Day in the Life on the Farm wrote about the Easiest Nut Brittle in the World
• Sew You Think You Can Cook prepared Orange Rosemary Roasted Almonds
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla rolled some Lentil-Chestnut Stuffed Grape Leaves
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla blended together some Pistachio Dukkah

Next week - week 10 - check back for our recipes to inspire you as we let our confectioner’s skills shine. Think truffles, barks, anything and everything with chocolate. Don't forget to check out our #handcraftededibles pinterest board.

Pistachio Dukkah

So, I decided to make something that you can use for cooking during the holidays or put it into a jar as a little gift. 

I have seen this spelled a couple of different ways - dukkah, dakka, duqqa. However you spell it, you must try this versatile spice blend. I'm going to spell it the first way.

Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend, consisting of herbs, nuts - usually hazelnut -, and spices. The word is derived from the Arabic word for "to pound"; the mixture of spices and nuts are pounded together after being dry roasted. The actual ingredients of the spice mix vary from cook to cook though there are common ingredients, such as sesame, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. I changed it up a little with some sweetness and used pistachios because I liked the color.

Ingredients makes about 1 cup

• 3 T coriander seeds
• 1 T black cumin seeds
• 1 t cardamom seeds
• 1/2 t green peppercorns
• 1/2 C shelled raw pistachio nuts
• 1/4 C white sesame seeds
• 3 T unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 t sea salt

Procedure

Toast coriander, cumin, cardamom seeds, and green peppercorns in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, approximately 2 minutes. Agitate constantly so that they do not burn.

Let spices cool, then transfer to a mortar and pestle. Crush to desired consistency. I prefer mine still chunky and rustic, but feel free to grind as fine as you like.

Meanwhile, roast sesame seeds and pistachios in a small skillet until golden, approximately 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, blend together the toasted spices, seeds, and nuts. Stir in the coconut and salt. Let cool completely before spooning into jars and sealing.

Serving Ideas
You can add this to olive oil for a tasty dipping sauce for bread. You can add it to salad dressings instead of just salt and pepper.