Category: Nut Usage Ideas

It’s the season where farmers’ markets pop up on every street corner, and the sun-kissed flavors make food so much more enjoyable. Tree nuts can add not only a delightful crunch and toasty flavor to the plate, they bring greater satiety and nutritional value, meaning you’ll want to snack less throughout the day–a win-win!  We all know how wonderful it is to sprinkle your favorite nuts on a salad, but here are some other ideas for incorporating tree nuts into summer meals:

• Asparagus and any nut is a partnership made in heaven – the French and Italians love it with hazelnuts and almonds, but the plump spears are also marvelous with pecans, pistachios and walnuts.  Try grilling, roasting or blanching asparagus and then adding a crumble of goat cheese or ricotta and some roasted tree nuts. Or, for a main dish, add to pasta or risotto with roughly chopped nuts, basil, lemon and olive oil.
• Artichokes make a delightful summer dip for vegetable crudités; add nuts such as pistachios and almonds to the mix with lemon and herbs. Puree cucumber, kefir, mint and green grapes along with almonds, cashews, pecans and pine nuts for a rich and creamy chilled soup without the saturated fat (see recipe below).
• Those plump baby beets are divine served with crumbled walnuts or pecans, and perhaps some Greek yogurt. And, finely shaved radishes over fresh summer greens make a lovely salad with any kind of nut.  My favorites are hazelnuts, pine nuts and pistachios for a lovely mix of color, flavor and texture.
• Try a warm salad of steamed garden peas and fava beans with mint, a squeeze of Meyer lemon and crumbled cashews, macadamias and hazelnuts.  And for the main scene? Rhubarb stalks – diced and sautéed with walnuts over a grilled chicken breast.

Finally, for a perfect finish you can’t beat cut up fresh stone fruit, melons and ruby grapefruit with a scattering of nuts and a spoon of Greek yogurt for a tasty treat!

Summer is for fun, so have some of your own with tree nuts!

Bon-appétit from the Nutty Chef!

Chilled Cucumber and Tree Nut Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 slices ciabatta bread, crusts removed and diced
• 1 1/2 cups diced cucumber, Persian, Lemon and English are great
• 2 cups green grapes
• ½ cup tree nuts of choice
• 2-3 teaspoons sherry or wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8-10 leaves mint
• ¼ – ½ cup kefir* or plain yogurt

Instructions:

1. Cover the bread in iced water and soak 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess water.
2. Place bread in a blender with the cucumber, grapes, tree nuts, vinegar, oil and mint.
3. Puree, adding kefir in a steady stream until desired consistency.  Season to taste, adding more vinegar if not “punchy” enough.
4. Chill 30 minutes before serving. (Some people like to strain the soup, but I prefer the fiber and texture as it is.)

*Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to liquid yogurt

When people think of romantic meals or foods, usually chocolate, lobster and champagne are the kinds of things that come to mind.  We all know nuts are loaded with nutrients that can keep our bodies and minds as healthy as possible. But they also contribute a more sensual pleasure to meals – texture!  We sometimes forget that texture can add as much interest to a meal as flavor – it does in fact contribute to and sometimes alter the flavor.  Here are some ways to make your meal more exotically romantic with some added nuts.

Breakfast in bed with pancakes, nuts, banana and honey anyone?  But on to the real meal…

• Nibbles for Champagne – roast almonds then toss with a touch of truffle oil, or olive oil and sprinkle with a little truffle salt.
• A silky soft soup of squash, peas, potato and leek or corn gets a delectable rich creaminess, by adding a handful of macadamias to the mix and then pureeing.
• Scallops with a crust – make a crumb of hazelnuts and polenta and roll scallops in before pan searing, then serve on a silky bed of pureed corn.
• A smooth and tantalizing dressing for salads can be made by pureeing roasted walnuts with a touch of walnut oil, lemon juice and Dijon. Add a few whole roasted nuts for texture.
• Make your own sumptuous gateau – chop pecans and pistachios and roast with a dusting of sugar until caramelized, then fold through softened gelato or frozen yogurt.  Press into a tray and drizzle with melted chocolate then refreeze.
• For a sweet and romantically elegant dessert, make a large meringue adding any ground nuts to the mix and smooth a hollow in the center.  Cook slowly, cool and fill with whipped cream and fruit!  Delicious!

This Valentine’s Day give your body, hearts and senses a touch of nuts!

From the nutty, but romantic chef!

I’d be lost without my stock of ground nuts- they add a wonderful flavor, texture and a nutritional boost to any meal or snack!  If you can’t find your favorite ground nut, just place whole nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until as fine or coarse as you like.

Here are some ideas to get you going:

Ground hazelnuts make a great sauce for asparagus or other veggies.  Simply heat in a dry non-stick pan until aromatic, add a splash of wine, stock, oil and lemon, and heat until thick.

Walnuts make classic Italian pasta crumble. Roast with torn bread and process with basil and a touch of milk or oil, toss in hot pasta with some whole nuts too!

Pastry or shortbread can be made from macadamias—simply process equal amounts nuts and flour (sugar for sweet pies), add a slow drizzle of skim milk till a dough forms then shape as desired.

Soup can be thick, creamy and healthy by adding ground almonds when you brown the veggies.  Just add stock, cook till desired, then puree—you have a whole meal!

Pistachios make pesto greener, healthier and more delicious. Simply spoon over risotto, fish, chicken or pasta!

Lastly, try rolling your next turkey burger in ground pecans, and add a few diced ones in the mix.  Talk about a gourmet burger!

Bon-appetite! From the “Nutty Chef”