Difficult to stop at just one dainty date ball. 

Silky hummus


My wonderful friend Linda made these delightfully addictive Dainty Date Balls and best of all they are completely sugar free. Which is just as well, because they graced my kitchen sideboard as part of a dessert selection alongside a lime and buttermilk cake, a rich honey chocolate ring, vanilla raspberry Victoria sponge and the cutest coconut white chocolate cupcakes courtesy of my beautifully pregnant sister-in-law Danijela. This was a decadent way to finish off a spread of satisfying, delicious home cooked food enjoyed at our extended family gathering this weekend. 

I’ve included a sample of the dishes that we feasted upon. My sister-in-law Lily made her refreshingly crunchy Greek salad and the oregano sprinkled juicy lamb cutlets were eaten hot off the barbecue – any type of meat on a bone is always a winner with children. A finely sliced green cabbage salad tossed with a simple vinaigrette and her popular cheese pita with hand-made pastry was delivered by my mother-in-law. These went particularly well with the generous platters of colourful coriander and cumin scented Chicken Fattee. Glossy tomato dotted tabbouleh and side bowls of oven roasted eggplant dip and home made hummus were piled onto people’s plates. I realise it is much easier to buy a good quality commercially made hummus which I have done so on many occasions, however I had spotted a recipe in the Jerusalem cookbook which was also recommended to me by my fellow foodie friend Stephanie. So with my Thermomix whirring away (a strong food processor would also suffice) I made my first superior silky hummus from scratch. Definitely worth the effort. 

Golden cheese pita
Aromatic chicken fattee
Colourful tabbouleh
Cutest coconut cupcakes
Fluffy vanilla raspberry sponge

I encourage you to involve your own children in preparing food or setting up the table when entertaining at home. It teaches them that effort and planning is part of any party and the food won’t simply appear by magic. These are life skills and part of being a member of a family. My eldest son Jovan carefully sliced up 5 punnets of sweet grape tomatoes for the tabbouleh, marinated the lamb cutlets and set the table. My girls tidied up the yard and playroom and set up a selection of games and toys for their younger cousins. Many hands make light work!

Oh and despite my children groaning that their bellies were “bursting” following lunch, come 6:30 this evening they were opening the fridge and hauling out the leftovers. At least the good food didn’t go to waste. 

I’m going to make a batch of Linda’s Dainty Date Balls and keep them on hand as a between meal snack to keep me going on these busy school holidays. Here’s the recipe, sounds too easy to be true!

Ingredients
1 heaped cup fresh dates 
1/4 cup desiccated coconut plus extra for rolling
1 tablespoon raw cacao – this is made from cold pressing whole cocoa beans. It has an intense chocolate flavour, is high in antioxidants but contains no fat. It gives a bittersweet intensity to the final product. 
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

Remove the pips from the dates. Place them in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Allow them to soak for 20 minutes to soften them.

Drain in a sieve and place the dates in a food processor or blender. Set aside the soaking water. 

Add all the other ingredients to the dates and blitz until a thick, smooth paste forms. You may need to add a little of the soaking water if the mixture is not smooth enough. 

Scoop out teaspoonfuls and roll into balls tossing in the extra coconut. 

Refrigerate until needed. 

Home Made Hummus from Scratch – another must make again recipe from the Jerusalem cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. 

Ingredients
250 g dried chickpeas
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
270 g light tahini paste
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 garlic cloves crushed
100ml ice cold water
sea salt to taste – I used 1.5 teaspoons of Maldon sea salt

Wash the chickpeas and place them in a deep bowl. Cover with cold water and leave to soak overnight. 

The next day, drain the chickpeas in a colander and place in a large pot over a high heat. Add the bicarbonate of soda and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The chickpeas will become slightly darker in colour with a matt appearance. 

Add 1.5 litres of cold water and bring to the boil, skimming the froth off the surface. Cook for about 30 minutes until the chickpeas are tender and squash easily between your fingers. 

Drain the cooked chickpeas and place them into a food processor or if you have one, a Thermomix. Add the remaining ingredients except for the iced water and blitz to a thick, stiff paste. Then, with the motor running, pour in the iced water until a smooth, silky, pourable spread forms. 

Taste and add more salt if needed. 

Pour into small serving bowls, drizzle with olive oil and if you like a little ground cumin or smoked paprika. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. The hummus will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 days.