Persian Cook

Ranginak is a Southern Iranian desert, originally from Shiraz.  It is easy to make and the results are pretty, delicious, and healthy--a  quick and nutritious dessert which goes really well with a cup of nice, dark, hot tea.  A recipe I found here follows my personal recipe almost to a T!  Here it is:

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1. Wheat flour:  500 grams
2. Pitted dates:  500 grams
3. Fine sugar:  125 grams
4. Walnuts:  125 grams
5. Cinnamon:  one spoon
6. Cardamom:  1/2 spoon
7. Cooking oil:  300 grams
8. Ground pistachio: one table spoon (if you have a hard time finding pistachios for fresh grinding, you can substitute with ground walnuts.  I have also seen it decorated with shredded coconuts.)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan until hot.
2. Pour in wheat flour and turn down the heat. Stir frequently until flour turns golden.
   Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Add fine sugar, cinnamon and cardamom to flour and mix well.
4. Pour half of the flour-mix in a flat dish and flatten the surface with the back of a spoon.
5. Insert a piece of walnut inside each date and place the dates on the flour-mix.
6. Cover the dates with the rest of the flour-mix and again flatten the surface with the back of a spoon.
7. Sprinkle ground pistachios on top.
8. Cut into diamond-shaped pieces and serve. 

Enjoy!

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