A few days ago, while looking into my cupboard for something, I found an unopened package of prunes that had reached its "best by" date. Indeed, when I opened it, the prunes were a bit too dry for tasty snacking.
But!
I can’t throw out perfectly good food. Rather than discard, I decided to make my own lekvar (and then use it for all sorts of recipes).
For several mornings I had some lekvar with yogurt (awesome). Just like the old days when Dannon had a perfectly wonderful prune yogurt.
I also made some of our treasured family recipe of butter cookies and used the lekvar for filling the center.
I don't ever have to buy lekvar again.
Here’s the recipe. I added fresh ginger to a portion and cooked it separately. It’s not typical for lekvar but I thought it added a good flavor. I list it as an option, but encourage you to try it too.
I’ll remember this recipe next Purim when I need to fill some homemade hamantashen.
Prune Lekvar
one pound pitted prunes (about 2 cups)
mixture or orange juice, apple juice or other fruit juice plus water (enough to cover the prunes)
4 slices of peeled fresh ginger (1/4-inch thick)
pinch of salt
5 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Place the prunes in a saucepan. Add juice plus water, using enough to cover the fruit and add the ginger and salt. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the prunes are soft. Be sure there is some liquid left in the pan; if not, add a bit more. Stir in the sugar and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and puree using a blender hand blender.
Makes 2 cups