Shared by Jennifer Ophir
Shared by Jennifer Ophir
Afghan Haroset (Halek)
Yield: 3 - 3 ½ cups
Afghan Haroset (Halek)
Yield: 3 - 3 ½ cupsFamily Journey
Mashhad, Persia (present-day Iran)Merv, TurkmenistanBukhara, Uzbekistan
Merv, TurkmenistanKabul, AfghanistanTel Aviv
New York City
In food stylist Jennifer Ophir’s family, her grandfather, Moshe Amram, was always in charge of making the haroset. It was something the whole family looked forward to, and they ate the nutty, date and apple spread on matzo any chance they could — as a snack, for lunch and dinner.
Read more about Jennifer’s family in “The Very Last Meal a Grandmother Cooked for Her Family” and try her recipes for bademjan seer (grilled eggplant and garlic dip), fried whiting with garlic and cilantro, katlet (meatballs with tomato sauce and potato) and kov roghan (Bukharian chicken and potatoes).
Ingredients
- 4 oz. whole, raw almonds
- 4 oz. walnuts
- 12 oz. Manischewitz Sweet Concord Grape wine
- 1 Red Delicious or Gala apple, roughly chopped
- 5 Medjool dates, pitted
- 5 large prunes
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
Step 1
Soak the almonds and walnuts in cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Change the water 2-3 times during the soaking. In another bowl, soak the chopped apples, dates, and prunes in the wine for 8 hours or overnight, covered.
Step 2
Drain nuts and rinse until the water runs clear. Place in a food processor fitted with the S blade and pulse 2-3 times until the nuts have broken down into large pieces.
Step 3
Drain the fruit from wine, saving the wine. Add the fruit to the processor, along with the cinnamon with a little bit of the wine and pulse 2-3 times, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the ingredients come together. Keep adding a little bit of wine and pulsing until you get a thick, firm, mortar-like mixture. The mixture should not be runny or too pureed. (You may not need to use all of the wine.)
Step 4
Store the haroset in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. The haroset can be made a few days in advance, which will allow the flavors to meld.
