Spicy Coated Nuts
3 cups Alison’s Pantry Deluxe Mixed Nuts
1 egg white
2 Tbsp honey
1tsp salt
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp caster sugar
Beat the egg white with warm honey until mixed, but not foamy. Then stir in the remaining flavourings.
Coat the nuts with this mixture using your fingers. Spread in a single layer on a shallow pan covered with a non-stick baking sheet or buttered baking paper. Bake at 150°C for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and stir well to separate. Cool, then pop them in a lidded container.
Download PDF version: Alison Holst’s Spicy Coated Nuts
Spiced Prunes in Port
Alison’s Pantry Super Sweet Prunes soaked in port will keep in a closed (unsealed) jar in the refrigerator for months, ready for serving after dinner with cheese, spooning over vanilla ice-cream, or snacking on by a deserving cook! The prunes keep softening and the liquid gets more syrupy with time.
For prunes which will be eaten with 36 hours, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 5 minutes only, then discard the water. Put the drained prunes in a clean jar, with one or more of the following: a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, some juniper berries, a couple of petals of star anise and/or a few strips of orange or lemon rind. Leave some space at the top of the jar. Fill jar to the top with port, since prunes will soak up some liquid on standing. Top with a well-fitting lid, then leave at room temperature for 12-36 hours before using refrigerating
Prepare spiced prunes for later use in the same way, but without the hot water treatment. Refrigerate, checking (tasting!) and topping up with extra port as necessary.
Variation: Replace Port with Sherry of your choice.
Download PDF version: Alison Holst’s Spiced Prunes in Port
Hummus
This dip is so good, you may want to freeze batches of cooked chickpeas (and some cooking liquid) so you can make it anytime, at very short notice.
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Chickpeas
5 cups hot water
fresh herbs (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp tahini paste
¼ – ½ cup olive oil
¼ – ½ cup cooking liquid
Put the chick peas into a large bowl, cover with hot water and leave to stand for 8 hours or longer. Drain and bring to the boil in 5 cups fresh (unsalted) water (with bay leaves or other herbs if you wish). Simmer for 20 minutes or until tender (or pressure-cook as in recipe below). Drain the chickpeas, and save the cooking liquid.
Chop the garlic in the food processor, then add the cooked drained peas, lemon juice, salt and tahini paste (using more for a stronger flavour). Process, adding ¼ cup oil gradually, ten add cooking liquid (or extra oil) until a smooth, dip-consistency is reached. Use immediately, or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days.
Serve with toasted pita bread triangles, or with corn chips and carrot, capsicum ad celery stick dippers.
Download PDF version: Alison Holst’s Hummas
Fruity Nutty Balls
Home-made fruit and nut mixtures taste very fresh and interesting.
½ cup dried Alison’s Pantry Dried Apricots
½ cup washed Alison’s Pantry Raisins
¼ cup orange or lemon juice
¼ cup toasted Alison’s Pantry Sesame Seeds
½ cup Alison’s Pantry Roasted Peanuts
About ½ cup Alison’s Pantry Coconut
½ cup Alison’s Pantry Sultanas
Boil chopped apricots in juice until liquid has disappeared. Chop nuts roughly in food processor. Add apricots, sultanas, currants and sesame seeds, and process until finely chopped. Add enough coconut to form a rollable mixture. Form into bars or small balls. Roll in extra coconut.
Download PDF version: Alison Holst’s Fruity Nutty Balls
Dukkah
Dukkah is a highly flavored, nutritious mixture of spiced, finely chopped nuts and seeds. Serve it in shallow bowls, beside pieces of crusty bread to dip first in olive or avocado oil, then into Dukkah.
FOR 2 ¼ CUPS:
½ cup Alison’s Pantry Sesame Seeds
½ cup Alison’s Pantry Sunflower Seeds
½ cup Alison’s Pantry Pumpkin Seeds
½ cup Alison’s Pantry Whole Blanched Almonds
½ cup Alison’s Pantry Hazelnuts
¼ cup cumin seeds
¼ cup coriander seeds
1 Tbsp (ground) paprika
1 ½ tsp (flaky) salt
1 ½ tsp (ground) turmeric
Heat the oven to 180°C. Roast the seeds and nuts in separate foil dishes, putting nuts in the oven in the order given. Check every few minutes, taking out each container when the contents have darkened a little and have an appetizing aroma. (Most take about 10 minutes.)
Let nuts and seeds cool, then grind with the paprika, salt and turmeric, in several batches in a food processor (use pulse button), spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar. Mixture should have some texture – it should not be an oily powder. Use immediately or store in airtight containers in a cool place, away from direct light. It gradually loses flavour, but lasts about two months.
Note: Try Dukkah sprinkled on an oiled chicken before roasting, and on plainly cooked green beans. Mix Dukkah with a similar amount of flour, dip fillets first in beaten egg then in the Dukkah mixture, then shallow-fry in a little canola oil.
Download PDF version: Alison Holst’s Dukkah
Date, Almond & Apricot Bars
This flavourful bar with its many nutritious additions, is a meal in itself! It carries well in a backpack or school bag.
Base:
1 cup Standard flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Instant Oats
200g chilled butter
1 cup brown sugar
Topping:
4 large eggs
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups Alison’s Pantry Natural Almonds
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Select Dates, chopped
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Choice Apricots, chopped
1 cup dark chocolate melts
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Shredded Coconut
Heat oven to 180°C or 170°C fan bake, with the rack just below the middle. Line a 18x28cm pan with baking paper. For base, process the flours, oats and cubed butter together, or grate the butter into the oats and flours in a bowl. Mix in the brown sugar and press mixture into the prepared pan. (Halve the base ingredients for a thinner base).
For topping, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a fork. Add everything else and mix together with a stirrer or spatula. Spread evenly over the uncooked base. Bake for 45 minutes, covering with folded baking paper if it browns to fast. Cool in baking pan, preferably overnight. When cold, cut in four large slabs with a sharp serrated knife. Refrigerate up to a week or freeze up to six weeks in plastic bags. Cut each slab into bars or fingers just before serving.
Download PDF version: Alison Holst’s Date, Almond & Apricot Bars