Odessa-style walnut stuffed prunes
Cuisine: Odessa
Author: Maria Kalenska
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 40 mins


Ingredients
  • 350 g pitted prunes, dried or smoked
  • 250 ml dry red wine
  • 250 ml hot water
  • 150 g sugar
  • 150 g walnuts
  • 200 ml sour cream, at least 30% fat
  • For the decoration:
  • nuts or chocolate, finely grated
Cooking method
  1. Cook the syrup. In a bowl, mix water, wine, and sugar so that the sugar is completely dissolved. Put prunes in a saucepan, pour over syrup. Put on the heat, and bring the syrup to boil. Then drain the syrup, put the prunes on a paper towel and let them to cool and dry.
  2. Heat the oven to 160°C. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper. Put walnuts on it. Dry the nuts in a preheated oven for 3-5 minutes. Take out, and let them cool.
  3. Insert ¼ of the walnut into each prune in place of the pits. Put the prunes in a serving dish. Top with sour cream. Cover with cling film. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Sprinkle prunes with grated nuts or chocolate before serving. ⠀
My tips and tricks
When you go to the market for prunes, choose the larger and fatter ones. And, of course, it's better to buy them pitted. But if you buy the prunes with pits, then gently take them out after boiling the prunes in the syrup, and while they are still hot. My recipe has two secrets. First, I dry the nuts lightly for a more intense flavour. The second, since I cook prunes in sugar syrup, I don't add sugar to the sour cream, and it remains thick, does not flow and lies like a beautiful white cap.

Maria Kalenska Gastronomy Blog | http://www.myodessacuisine.com/recipes/odessa-style-walnut-stuffed-prunes/