Middle Eastern stuffed dates
Serve warm with tahini sauce on the side
The best thing about these — or second best actually, after the taste — is how incredible your house will smell while they’re baking. All those Middle Eastern spices in the meat, along with the dates themselves … it’s a beautiful cacophony of aromas.
Ingredients:
20-25 medjool dates
½ pound ground beef or lamb
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon coriander
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pine nuts
½ heaping tablespoon medium-heat harissa paste
3 tablespoons very finely diced or minced onion
⅛ cup chopped parsley
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Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Slit the dates open and remove the pits. Set aside.
Mix the ground beef with all the rest of the ingredients.
Take small amounts of the ground beef mixture, approximately 1 heaping tablespoon at a time (depending on the size of your date), and roll into a small ball. Press into the date and spread out so it fills the date. Keep in mind, the meat will shrink when cooked, so don’t skimp on the filling.
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 400 F. Cut one open to make sure they are cooked through.
Serve warm, with tahini sauce (tahini paste mixed with water, lemon juice, salt and garlic) on the side or drizzled on top. PJC
Miriam Szokovski is a writer, editor, and member of the Chabad.org editorial team. She also shares her cooking and baking on Chabad.org/food. Copyright Chabad.org/Recipes. Reprinted with permission.
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