Apricot, Fig and Pistachio Haroseth
This is the time of year when I always wish that I had grown up with more of a Jewish tradition in my family, observing and celebrating holidays, but really without everything in between.
My favorite Jewish holiday is passover, and it isn’t just because of the food, but the holiday’s purpose as well, freedom and the celebration of spring. I have tried every year to prepare a seder meal for my Roman-Catholic husband and myself. This year, with more time on my hands, I was more successful in it’s preparation and went for more sephardic and mediterranean recipes.
I plan on posting recipes over the next few days from my faux seder last night, the first, which is the most traditional is for the haroseth, which represents the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. My other recipes are much less symbolic than this one, but equally delicious. I found this recipe from this month’s Gourmet which sounded delicious, I adjusted the recipe to what I had in my pantry and to cater to my husband’s allergies.
Apricot, Fig, and Pistachio Haroseth adapted from Gourmet -April 2009
- ½ cup unsalted shelled pistachios
- ½ cup whole pine nuts
- 1 cup dried apricots
- ½ cup dried figs
- ½ cup sweet blackberry wine
- 1 (3- by 1/2-inch) strip orange zest, finely chopped (1 teaspoon)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pulse nuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add dried fruit and pulse until chopped. Add Sherry, zest, and spices and pulse until incorporated.
Italicious 
It is delicious on matzo, but I am going to use the leftovers as a fruit spread for bread an crackers, Gourmet recommends pairing it with manchego cheese, I think any aged cheese would be good.
OK – I’m going to look dumb, but what do you do with this mix? I love the looks of your recipes – everything fresh and tasty. I’ve wished more then once that we lived in Italy instead of France.