We are going a bit left-field - literally and figuratively - with today's post, as instead of our usual standard of dishes originating in South or South-East Asia, we are going to share something of Bosnian/Balkan origins with you. This dish comes courtesy of my friend Richard's daughter, Mila - a very talented young girl who was happy to share a bit of her culture with me.
Tufahije (pronounced Tufa-he-ye) is a Bosnian dish that is stewed apples stuffed with a walnut paste. It is often served with whipped cream and sometimes a glazed syrup. The name comes from the Turkish word Tuffaha which means apple. We often serve it with slightly sweetened whipped cream, while many people make a separate sugar syrup to bathe it in.
Before I walk you through the ingredients and steps, here are some relevant metrics for the recipe.
Difficulty - Easy.
Prep time - 30 mins.
Cooking time - 10 mins.
Servings - 4.
Ingredients
Apples - 4 (or 1 per person)
Water - 1 litre, for poaching the apples
Walnuts - 100g, ground
Milk - 60 ml
White sugar - 2 tbsp
The Process
Wash and peel the apples. Hollow out the core of the apples. You can optionally coat the apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.
We will now poach the apples. Add water to a large pot and add the apples. Set the heat to high. Once the apples are soft enough that a knife can pierce through them, turn off the heat. Take the apples out and put them in a baking tray. Set them aside to cool while we work on our stuffing.
Combine the milk and sugar into a thick syrup. Add in the ground walnuts and mix well.
Next, stuff the hollowed core of the apple with the syrup and walnuts.
Chuck the apples into an oven at 180 degrees celsius. Take the apples out after ten minutes or so. They should be nice and brown.
Top off the apples with some whipped cream and icing sugar.
That is it; your Tufahije is ready - Bon appetit. As always, I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. See you in the next one.