Our family has served two kinds of charoset for the past decade — while nothing can take the place of my aunt’s Eastern European charoset, with apples and walnuts cut in the same wooden bowl with a mezzeluna and put in the same green-tinted glass jar with cinnamon and Manischewitz to marinade overnight — the Sefardi/Mizrahi charoset has made a place for itself.
Charoset, regardless of ethnicity, is made of layers of flavor and constant taste-testing. Not such a bad plan during your potentially hectic holiday prep.
Ingredients
1 cup dried figs
1 cup raisins
1 cup pitted medjool dates
1 cup almonds
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
2-3 Tablespoons pomegranate juice
Directions
Put the figs, raisins, dates and almonds into a food processor. Let it pulse until you have a thick and sticky paste.
Using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the food process and transfer contents to a large bowl.
In a small bowl mix the pomegranate juice and spices together and pour over fruit-nut mixture. Begin mixing everything together with your hands. If the mixture is too dry, add more pomegranate juice.
Pinch of a piece of the mixture and roll into a ball, the size of 1-1.5 bites. Keep a bowl of tepid water on hand, as your hands will get covered.
