I feel sorry for poor old prunes - perpetually overlooked in the dried fruit world, forever falling into last place behind the more appealing dried apricot and medjool date. We all know that prunes are good for us and perhaps that is the problem - we tend to turn to them only when we feel unwell. Besides their well known digestive properties they are also antioxidant rich and full of vitamin K which is needed to keep our bones strong.
For my dish this week I've decided to put a spin on stewed prunes and stew them in a mix of rooibos, orange peel and cinnamon. I've used rooibos as you can't overbrew it and it doesn't have any tannin aftertaste and orange and cinnamon are two flavours that compliment both the prune and rooibos.
1 tablespoon rooibos tea
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
orange peel
cinnamon stick
500 grams pitted prunes
Place the tea into a jug and pour over with the water - let this sit for 10 minutes to infuse. Strain into a saucepan, stir in the sugar and add in a little orange peel and a small cinnamon stick. Place on a medium heat and bring to boiling point - turn down the heat and add in the prunes, simmer very gently for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the prunes have softened. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Remove the prunes from the liquid and place into a heatproof jar. Bring the liquid back to boiling point and boil for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by a half. Remove the peel and cinnamon stick and pour this hot syrup over the prunes. Let this cool completely before using.
This is great to have at breakfast - add it to cereal, muesli, porridge - or alongside your favourite yoghurt. It also makes a great filling for this bread and butter pudding.
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