Pistachio-Sunfower Dukkah Nut Blend

Do you remember a few summers ago when everyone was sprinkling chili powder, salt and lime on top of fruit? At first it was delicious, but by the time you got to the bottom of the bowl I found it was kinda joyless. In my humble opinion adding Dukkah to melon is better than chili-lime. It's better because Dukkah (an Egyptain spice/nut blend) will give you a more complex flavor that does just taste like heat and add great texture. I eat it on pretty much everything. It's fantastic on melon, eggs, salads, meat, avocado toast, yogurt and smoked salmon. I eat so much more fruit when I have this to sprinkle on top. And once you know the ratios of nuts to salt and spice you can experiment with your own blend.

This is not an authentic Egyptian dukkah. There are plenty of Dukkah recipes out there from people who are "in the know" and grew up eating Dukkah (For instance: Mediterranean Dish or Amira's Pantry). What I did with my Dukkah nut-spice blend is create something easy with a coarser texture that will give you a good crunch and spice level. Most of the Dukkah recipes out there are about the same, but with different peppers for spice (although usually cayenne or black pepper) and different types of nuts (pistachios, peanuts, or hazelnuts). I borrowed Brandon Skier's suggestion in "Make it Fancy" to incorporate sunflower seeds into the blend, and I really like the texture and flavor of the sunflower seeds, as well as the extra bulking up of the blend that they provide.

ABOUT TOASTED NUTS/SEEDS:

If you can only find roasted pistachios, roasted sunflower seeds or sesame seeds, then just grab those. I sometimes have trouble finding raw sunflower seeds and I often use the pre-roasted ones. They're not quite as flavorful, but they'll absolutely work.

Pistachio-Sunflower Dukkah

Takes 30 minutes to make. Optional: food processor

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (85 grams) un-roasted and unsalted pistachios

1/2 cup (40 grams) raw sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons untoasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper

2/4 teaspoon flaked sea salt (the fancy stuff)

STEP ONE

Set your oven to 350 degrees and spread your pistachios and sunflower seeds out on a sheet pan that has a lip. Roast pistachios and sunflower seeds for 4 minutes, then turn them in the pan and sprinkle the sesame seeds on the pan as well. Return pan to the oven and roast for another 3 minutes. Carefully try a pistachio seed and look at your other seeds to see if they are roasted yet. They may need 1-2 minutes more. When your seeds begin to take on a golden hue and start to smell remove the pan from the oven. Make sure you don't over toast them or they will taste bitter. Set pan aside and allow seeds to cool for 5 minutes.

STEP TWO

WITH A FOOD PROCESSOR: add seeds and nuts to processor bowl and then pile 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper on top. Pulse ingredients until pistachios have a corse chop. You want texture here, not powdered nuts. pour mixture into a bowl and toss in the flaked sea salt.

BY HAND: spread seeds and nuts out on a cutting board and chop until most of your pistachios and sunflower seeds have been chopped into coarse pieces. Transfer contents into a bowl, sprinkle cumin, coriander and Alleppo pepper and salt on top. Stir to combine.

Dukkah will last for several weeks in an airtight container.