I used to detest the taste of cardamon – particularly when I crunched a whole one in a curry. Just as I’ve acquired the taste for coriander, cardamon has grown on me too. My friend from Baghdad adds the seeds from a couple of cardamon pods to a pot of tea which then release their beautiful aroma into the brew. It seemed to be the perfect Persian spice for these bars. I use a silicon baking tray about 23cm square. If you use a baking tin, line it with baking paper. Makes about 16 good sized squares.
150g pitted dates – cut each in half to check there aren’t any pits remaining
one medium orange (about 200g), unpeeled, cut into chunks, any seeds removed
one tablespoon golden syrup
black seeds from five cardamon pods
125g butter
three quarters of a cup of raw sugar
one large egg
one cup wholemeal flour
one teaspoon baking powder
one cup rolled oats
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat again. Add the flour, oats and baking powder to the creamed mixture. Divide mixture roughly into two portions. Press one portion evenly into the base of your tin. Put the dates, orange, syrup and cardamon seeds into a blender goblet and process until smooth. Spread gently in an even layer over the base in the tin. Crumble the remaining portion of the base mixture over the top of the date filling, spreading it carefully to make a top layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
