I tried dukkah for the first time last week at a Highfield culinary class and immediately scrambled over to our local Spice Merchants at Mashpee Commons to get my own supply. There’s a lot of information about dukkah on line. Like many other spice blends, it’s really personal choice as to what nuts, seeds and spices go into it. I may try to create my own blend at some point, but for now, I happily bought some.

This is an Egyptian blend of toasted nuts, seeds and spices that can be sprinkled over roasted vegetables or pasta, or really, anything! Lisa, the owner of the Spice Merchants, says that it’s amazing as a dip for bread and olive oil. I have a recipe for roasted cherry tomatoes tossed with breadcrumbs and served over pasta. Dukkah in place of breadcrumbs would elevate that dish to the sublime.

My introduction to dukkah came via a very simple recipe for “Roasted Cauliflower with Duccah” from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen, so I’ll include that here.

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower
3 TBS olive oil
3/4 tsp sea salt (or kosher salt)
1/4 C dukkah

Method:

1. Break the cauliflower into small pieces.
2. Spread the cauliflower pieces in a single layer on a half sheet pan. Toss with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You could also sprinkle on some freshly ground pepper if you like.
3.  Bake for 25 minutes in a pre-heated 425 oven. Toss the pieces around a bit at the half way point.
4. Remove and sprinkle the dukkah on the cauliflower. Toss to coat evenly and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the cauliflower pieces are browned.

Every now and then, something makes you realize that there’s a whole world of untapped options out there. Egyptian dukkah now has a place in my Cape Cod kitchen.