Today was my name day. Not many people are aware of it. 😊 I do celebrate it, though, if only with something sweet. My friend Sidra sent this recipe over more than two years ago. I’ve only managed to adapt it and try it today. However, better late than never to lick your fingers.

• I used

10 medium-large dates

10 walnut cores

10 teaspoons of peanut butter

100g hazelnut spread [we made some ourselves; to be continued] or melted chocolate

salt without anticaking agents

• Method?

Open the dates and pit them [Kara enjoyed playing with two date pits].

Place the walnut cores inside the dates, one by one.

‘Seal’ them with the peanut butter.

In the end, soak the mini-desserts in the hazelnut spread.

Before placing these treats in a dish and letting the dish sit in the freezer for half an hour, sprinkle some salt on them.

• I hope you loved them!

This year felt overwhelming. I gave bits of my time in all directions so as not to neglect the beings dear to my heart or the activities that I was engaged in. Even the gogoşari were pickled late in the game.

It was difficult, but I feel that things are going to settle.

Speaking of beings dear to my heart, I have this recipe from Ms Geta, whom I love a lot. She cooks very well and she supported me while preparing the ingredients for the pickled gogoşari, which Marcel ended up preparing.

I share it with you. I hope it will be of use. Of course, you can adapt the amounts based on the quantity of gogoşari used.

For 6 kg of gogoşari (1 of which is lost through seeds and cores, as my father said to me)—

350g honey

750ml wine vinegar

2 tbsps of coarse salt (you can also add sea salt; just don’t use iodised salt – more about it here)

18-24 bay leaves (we had some from our dear Pauli, the daughter of Ms Geta)

6 teaspoons of peppercorns (you can also add mustard seeds, we didn’t have any)

200g horseradish (cleaned and cut into pieces)

+6 x 900g jars

Method:

Wash and clean the gogoşari.

Cut them into pieces in a large bowl.

Add the honey, the vinegar, and the salt.

After 5 hours, mix, then cover the bowl with plastic film.

In the morning, mix again and then cover the bowl again.

Place the gogoşari into jars only after 24 hours, together with the horseradish (which Marcel wanted to add) and the peppercorns. Only this way will the gogoşari leave sufficient juice. They will soften and more will fit into a jar.

Taking Ms Geta’s advice, Marcel left the jar lids slightly open to add more ’juice’ so that the gogoşari are fully covered.

The surprise? In addition to the fact that the gogoşari are terrific, some ’juice’ remained. Marcel pickled some 600g of gogoşari more. J