Moroccan rice with Harissa, dates and orange

October 19, 2018October 17, 2023 Belinda

Enjoy this flavorful, exotic rice dish from the food blog, “Alexandra’s Kitchen”
The combination of the dates and orange gives the rice that wonderful Moroccan aroma.

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3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp harissa
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed until water runs clear (do not use brown rice)
6 Medjool dates, pitted and diced
1 orange, zested and juiced

In a large skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the onions and reduce the heat to medium.
Add a pinch of salt, and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and bay leaf to the onions, and cook for another minute more. Add the harissa. Stir to incorporate.
Add the rice and stir for another minute or until each grain is glistening. Add the dates and the orange zest.
Squeeze the orange into a liquid measure and add enough water to create 1 and 1/3 cups liquid. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan. Stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer, cover the pan, turn heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork. There should be a bit of nice caramelization on the bottom of the pan — I like to scrape this up and incorporate it into the rice.
Serve immediately.

Accompaniments · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Sweet basil dressing

September 21, 2018September 7, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

This is a non-dairy, but creamy dressing (from blogger, littlebitsof.com) which is sweetened by the pureed dates and is gorgeous over chicken or salad.

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Serves 4

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
2 pitted Medjool dates, soaked in hot water to soften
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until the dates are broken down and the dressing is smooth and creamy.
Drizzle over salad or chicken.

Baking · Dessert

Warm sticky toffee pudding

August 8, 2018 Belinda

The beauty of this pudding/cake is that the main flavor and sweetness comes from Medjool dates. This is a fabulous dessert and I swear there will be no leftovers.

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Serves 8 (if you’re lucky)

For the toffee sauce
2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (90g) demerara or muscovado sugar, or another dark brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp golden syrup or molasses
pinch of salt

For the pudding
6 oz (180g) pitted Medjool dates, snipped or chopped
1 cup (250ml) water
1 tsp baking soda
optional: 1/3 cup (40g) candied ginger, chopped
1 1/4 cups (175g) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
4 tbsp (55g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F (190C) and butter an 8 1/2-inch (24cm) porcelain soufflé dish (or similar-sized baking dish.)

Make the toffee sauce by bringing the cream, demerara or turbinado sugar, golden syrup (or molasses) and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring often to melt the sugar.

Lower heat and simmer, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and coats the spoon. Pour half the sauce into the prepared soufflé dish and place the dish in the freezer, and reserve the other half for serving.

To make the pudding, in a medium saucepan, heat the dates and water. Once the water begins to boil, remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Add the ginger, if using, then set aside, but keep it slightly warm.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then the vanilla. (Don’t be alarmed if the mixture looks a bit curdled.)

Stir in half of the flour mixture, then the date mixture, then add the remaining flour mixture until just mixed. Don’t over-beat the batter.

Remove the soufflé dish from the freezer and scrape the batter into the soufflé dish and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Remove the pudding from the oven, and let cool slightly before serving.

Serving: Spoon portions of the cake into serving bowls and douse with additional warm toffee sauce. Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream are good accompaniments.

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Poultry

Roasted chicken quarters with dates, olives and capers

June 3, 2017 Belinda

Yet another Ottolenghi recipe that is beyond delicious. Take the two days to marinade the chicken to maximize the flavor and tenderize the meat.Don’t cut corners.

Serves 4 generously

8 whole chicken legs of a good size, skin on
6 large garlic cloves, crushed
About 1/2 oz fresh oregano, torn
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pitted green olives
2 oz capers, plus 2 tbsp of their juices
3 oz Medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthways
2 bay leaves
5 fl oz dry white wine
1 tbsp date syrup or treacle
Salt and black pepper

Place the chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all of the ingredients, apart from the wine and date syrup, along with 3/4 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl and leave in the fridge to marinate for 2 days, stirring the ingredients a few times during the process. (The other thing you can do is get a very large plastic bag that self seals and use that to marinate everything)

Preheat the oven to 350F

Spread the chicken quarters out on a large roasting dish along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and date syrup and pour over the meat.
Place in the oven and cook for 50 mins, basting 2 or 3 times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle with some fresh oregano leaves and serve

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Grains · Nuts · Salad · Vegetable-related

Orange-scented quinoa salad with pistachios and dates

August 17, 2015February 7, 2016 Belinda

Another beautiful healthy and tasty Summer salad. I can’t have enough of these and am always looking for more of these interesting recipes. We love eating them with a piece of marinated and barbequed fish or chicken.

Serves 4

6 oz (175 g) quinoa or red quinoa, rinsed
1 oz (30g) shelled pistachios
5 tbsp 70ml) fresh orange juice, plus finely grated zest 1 orange
4 tbsp (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp sherry vinegar
1 scant tsp Dijon mustard
6 green onions, very finely sliced
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1 large bunch watercress, tough stalks removed
10 ready-to-eat dates, chopped
Optional- goat cheese or Greek feta cheese to toss through or sprinkle over it

Bring 3 cups (500 mls) water (or 1/2 water and 1/2 broth of your choice) to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa and reduce the heat to low, then cover and cook for 18-20 minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork and spread over a large plate to cool.

Meanwhile, in a dry frying pan, toast the pistachios until fragrant and starting to brown. Cool, then coarsely chop.

To make the dressing, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, mustard and vinegar and season well.

To assemble the salad, put the quinoa in a serving bowl and toss with half the dressing. Fork through the orange zest, green onions, herbs, watercress, dates, chopped pistachios and enough of the remaining dressing to coat. Taste and add more salt, pepper and/or dressing if needed, then serve.

Appetizers · Nuts

Roasted dates with pancetta, almonds and chile

August 15, 2015 Belinda

A gorgeous recipe from chef, Michael Symon. Simple, but so addictive.
Sliced almonds and red pepper flakes are added to sauteing pancetta and then spooned over roasted dates. The intensity of the flavors from the sweetness of the dates through the saltiness of the pancetta, the nuttiness of the almonds and the spicy heat from the chile is such a great combination on the tongue.

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups pitted dates
3 oz pancetta, finely diced (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the dates on a small rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until heated through, about 5 minutes. Turn off the oven but leave the dates in there while you cook the pancetta.

In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, cook the pancetta until it is three-quarters crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the almonds and continue cooking until they brown, a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the red pepper flakes and stock and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, stirring continuously until the butter is melted. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
Add the dates to the pan and swirl and toss them in the sauce. Divide the cooked dates among four to six plates and spoon the sauce over them.

Appetizers · Meat · Nuts

Bacon wrapped dates with almonds and goat cheese

May 5, 2015February 7, 2016 Belinda

Unctious, divine and so easy.

MAKES 24
24 large moist dates, such as Medjool
12 not-too-thick slices of bacon
2 oz. softened goat cheese
24 whole toasted unsalted almonds

Move oven rack to upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500°. Pit dates, tearing them open as little as possible. Set dates aside. Halve the 12 slices of bacon crosswise. Put the goat cheese into a pastry bag fitted with a round, plain ¼” tip.

Stuff cavity of each date with 1 almond. Pipe goat cheese into the opening of each stuffed date. Wrap 1 half-piece of bacon around width of each date and put dates, seam side down, on a baking sheet, at least ½” apart. Bake until bacon is golden and crisp, 6-8 minutes.
Set aside to cool briefly before serving.

Baking · Do-ahead · Grains

Date and oat crumb bars

November 6, 2014September 7, 2022 Belinda2 Comments

I love something sweet at the end of a meal, and these are sweet, gooey and crunchy all at the same time. You will love them and so will the family.

Makes about 8 servings

1lb Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup honey
1 cup water
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Bring the dates, honey, water and 1 tbsp butter to a boil, remove from the heat and let sit until they cool down to room temperature
Puree in a food processor until smooth
Mix the rolled oats, flours, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
Stir in the melted butter until it forms crumbs
Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 8 inch square pan
Spread the date mixture on and top with the remaining crumbs
Bake in the oven for 25 mins

Asian flavors · Gluten Free · Salad · Vegan

Radicchio, banana and avocado salad with dates and a ginger- lime dressing

September 23, 2014 Belinda1 Comment

This is very unusual but sensational. Bananas and avocado have a very similar texture and the Asian dressing lends itself really well to this combination. I would love to hear what you think of it.

Serves 6 as a starter.

2 medium heads of radicchio
6 Medjool dates, pitted
2 firm bananas
2 ripe avocados

For the dressing
3 tbsp safflower oil
2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp Asian chile sauce
1 tbsp finely minced ginger
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1 tbsp chopped cilantro sprigs

Pull apart the radicchio leaves, then tear away and discard the bitter white stem area; you should have abut 4 cups. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to make the dish.
Thinly slice the dates. In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients and refrigerate until needed.
When ready to serve, slice the bananas and cut the avocado flesh into 1/4 slices. Stir the dressing, place the radicchio in a bowl and toss with just enough of the dressing to barely coat the leaves.
Transfer the leaves to salad plates and put the dates, banana and avocado slices in the same bowl, add the rest of the dressing and very gently toss together.
Place this mixture on top of the radicchio and serve at once.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Poultry

Roast chicken with dates, olives and capers

August 30, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Thanks again to the incredible Yotam Ottolenghi for another Middle Eastern winner. The combination of sweet dates, briny green olives and tart capers, complements this dish so beautifully. It is best to prepare this dish 2 days before you need to serve it and leave it in the fridge to marinate so all the wonderful flavors permeate the chicken

Preheat the oven to 350 F
8 whole chicken legs, drumstick and thigh attached and skin on.
5 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 oz fresh oregano, plus extra for garnish
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pitted green olives
2 oz capers, plus 2 tbsp of their juices
3 oz Medjool dates, pitted and and quartered lengthways
2 bay leaves
4 fl oz dry white wine
1 tbsp date syrup or treacle
Salt and black pepper

Place the chicken in a large, non reactive bowl and add all of the ingredients, apart form the wine and date molasses, along with 3/4 tsp of salt and a good grind of pepper.
Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl and leave in the fridge to marinate for 1 to 2 days, stirring the ingredients a few times during the process.
Spread out the chicken legs on a large baking tray, along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and date syrup/treacle and pour over the meat. Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, basting 2 or 3 times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large warm platter, sprinkle over some freshly picked oregano leaves and serve.