This beautiful recipe comes from the heart & hands of Rocio Graves - a dear sister who has inspired my own culinary creations for many years. She is a food alchemist, activist, food photographer, meditator and home gardener - growing a variety of local foods on her family’s land in Mallorca. In-joy!
Slow Cooked Spiced Peaches Over Yogurt
One early summer morning a couple of years ago I was given a box of small slightly underripe peaches at the market by a local farmer friend. I had people over for dinner later that day and decided to turn the peaches into something very sweet and gooey that could go well with almond ice-cream. I halved them and placed them in a heavy pan with lots of spices, ghee, raisins, ginger, coconut sugar and vanilla. I slow cooked the spiced peaches for 50 minutes on medium heat until shiny, bubbly, thick and fragrant. A scoop of this deliciousness over ice-cream (or yoghurt) and a generous pinch of crushed roasted almonds, pistachios or walnuts, and you have a beautiful summer dessert or even breakfast.
Since that summer I have experimented with slow roasting stone fruit instead of slow cooking it on a pan, and the results are also delicious. When roasting you would avoid adding the water and simply allow the fruit to cook in its own juice with the coconut sugar.
I have found that roasting fruit like peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries and even grapes with little more than some sugar and a sprinkle of salt is a really flavorful and decadent way of adding fruit to salads (especially when using bitter leaves like radicchio or endives) dressed with a nutty fatty dressing (quality nut butter + acid like lime juice or a good balsamic + a touch of sweetener such as maple syrup, and some salt). Slow roasted fruit served on a cheese platters can also be absolutely incredible.
(serves 4-6 people)
2 kg red or white semi-ripe peaches
1 vanilla pod, split open and scraped
1/2 cup dried sultanas
1/4 cup thinly sliced ginger
1 cinnamon sticks or 1+ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
10 cardamom pods crushed or 1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
juice of half a lemon
7 tbsp coconut sugar
enough water to just about cover the peaches
Wash and halve the peaches using a small pointed knife to remove the pits, place the halved peaches in a medium to large, heavy-bottomed pan and add the remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil stirring gently until the coconut sugar has dissolved. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 45 to 50 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced (make sure to check at least once half way through to ensure it doesn’t over cook / stick to the bottom of the pan, stirring gently). Once the first 45 to 50 minutes are over, uncover and increase the heat to high for another 5 minutes or so stirring gently and continuously.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool before serving. Enjoy with your favourite ice cream, over yoghurt with a sprinkle of chopped roasted nuts. Great as a snack, breakfast or dessert.
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