RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Fruit and Nut Cups - pareve
Tu b'Shevat (the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat) falls on February 1, this year. Many know this as the "new year of the trees," and the planting of new trees in Israel has come to be associated with it. I found it interesting to learn that the origin of the holiday was considerably less romantic, though. In ancient times, it was the time of ~counting~ of trees; specifically, those which yielded fruit. Ancient Israel had an agrarian economy, of course, and the number of trees served as a tax base! Another association which many make with this holiday is of dried fruits, and that seems to have become entrenched as a custom. In fact, though, fresh fruits are more than acceptable. The reason that many used to use dried ones was that there were no fresh ones available in wintery climes. (I could never get behind the idea of ~bokser~/carob. Don't let anyone fob it off on you. In Israel, it's used as cattle fodder, and that seems just about right to me. Poor cows ... OTOH, carob has a dignified claim to fame. One seed is considered the standard weight which has come to be known as a carat.) Lest I be thought to be taking all of the romance out of the holiday <g>, both new and renewed traditions are coming to be associated with it. The newest is to tie activities and studies on Tu b'Shevat with protection of the environment, and the renewed one is a ceremony which originated among Italian Jewry and was practiced during the age of Kabbalah in Safed: A Tu b'Shevat seder. This is modeled on the Passover seder, with four cups of wine, each of a different color, and with varieties and levels of fruit. [I know Karen Selwyn has a good explanation of the wines and fruits and hope she'll detail them.] The following recipe is taken from a column by Joni Schockett on the Jewish Family and Life website, <www.jewishfamily.com>. Though she didn't designate it, it would seem she is referring to dried fruits, particularly as apricots would not be in season at this time of the year. BTW, almonds are strongly associated with the holiday, because this is the time of year that these trees blossom in Israel. The flowers are a delicate, pale pink. When the petals are shed, they lay so thick on the ground that they almost look like a dusting of fresh snow. Ruth Fruit and Nut Cups ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preparation Time: 15 minutes Baking Time: 20 minutes 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup raisins 1 cup chopped dates 1 cup chopped fruit of your choice (we like apricots) 1/3 cup sugar 2 extra large or jumbo eggs Chop the nuts and fruit (except the raisins) in a food processor with quick on/off pulses until coarsely chopped. Remove the fruit to a bowl and add the sugar and raisins. Mix well. Beat the eggs together and add to the fruit. Mix well. Grease an extra small cupcake tin--for mini cupcakes--thoroughly. These tins usually have 12 tiny cupcake holders in each tin. There should be enough mixture to fill just about 2 tins. Fill only level with the pan. Do not overfill or the fruit will burn. Bake in a 350 degree oven (325, if your oven runs hot) for about 20 minutes. Let cool and carefully remove with a small fork or spoon. These are delicious and not too bad on the fat and calories IF you can limit yourself to just one or two.
