As most of the people who just celebrated the Passover holiday already know, there is a wonderful blend of nuts, apples, and traditionally, honey. This dish is made to signify the sweetness that there is in life. (I personally don’t use or recommend honey, as it is not digested well, and is also a stolen substance which the bees produce and utilize for a variety of purposes and needs.) I grew up being taught that this was a holiday dish, and waited anxiously all year long just to have it again it was so good. It wasn’t till I grew up that I realized I didn’t have to wait and could make it anytime I wanted. What we do to kids sometimes! It was originally designed to be eaten on top of a matzo. The Matzo (also spelled matzah) is a baked flat unleavened bread consisting primarily of flour and water. Nowadays salt is usually added as well, and there are many flavored choices too. It’s much like a big saltine cracker. I have found I can use my imagination and really make some delicious snacks with this as a topping or a filling. One of the most original and by the way amazingly delicious treats I’ve ever made was using taro leaves as a wrapper for the charosas filling. Taro leaves taste much like non bitter spinach. They are also large and strong and good for wrapping things with. Other good wrappers are whole wheat tortillas or grape leaves. Or you can try using it as a filling for a pie crust or rolling it inside a nice whole wheat pastry dough. Those of you who have worked with filo dough can appreciate the ease of this filling. Try layering the charosas in between several layers of whole wheat filo dough, brushing all the dough lightly with canola oil as you layer it. Then bake it till it’s crisp on top, mmmmmm! Anyway you like it, it turns out to be a sweet treat that everyone can always enjoy. Oh, and I forgot one more thing that you can eat it with, a spoon! Enjoy Bon appetite’
Ingredients:
2 crisp apples – peeled, cored, and diced
½cup walnuts – chopped
1 Tbsp. rice syrup (maple syrup can be used, but is much more liquid)
1 Tbsp. organic grape juice (Organic wine is also optional)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Preparation:
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients together and mix well. Allow a little time for the flavors to marry, and then use as a spread, filling, or topping. For a different taste try roasting some macadamia nuts and replacing the walnuts with them.
Makes 8-10 portions
