Wild Mediterranean: Baklava Butter
From her freshly-released book, Stella Metsovas welcomes us to the WILD MEDITERRANEAN lifestyle; a concept she developed from her upbringing in a Greek household and the benefits behind a healthy gut. Holding the value of olive oil high in this life practice, Stella has shared this recipe as a way to incorporate California COOC-certified extra virgin olive oil for your indulgence.
Yes, you read that right: The nutty, honey-sweetened decadence of Greece’s most famous dessert-without all the layers of buttered phyllo dough and heavy syrup. By folding all the ingredients into softened “butter,” you get a spreadable guilty pleasure to enjoy on sprouted-grain toast, stirred into yogurt, or stuffed into dates. After all its okay to treat yourself once in a while. It’s all about balance! This makes quite a bit and should be used within 10 days, so consider sharing some as a gift!
Wild Bonus: Healthy fats plus nut-derived fiber are essential building blocks for balanced gut health.
Ingredients:
- 1¼ cups walnuts
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds
- 1/3 cups pistachios
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup organic honey
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a food processor, combine the walnuts, almonds, and pistachios. Pulse until coarsely ground or finely chopped-be careful not to overprocess. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the almond meal.
- In a small pot, combine the honey, sugar, cinnamon, and salt with 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, then remove from the heat and add directly to the bowl with the nut mix. Add the olive oil and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Transfer the butter to a clean glass jar, refrigerate, and use within a week.
Reprinted from WILD MEDITERRANEAN by arrangement with Pam Krauss Books/Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, a Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017, Stella Metsovas