Annabel's Pantry - Nuts

When we talk about nuts we generally mean any type of kernel that needs to be liberated from a hard shell before we can eat it – but botanically speaking, some nuts, like the peanut, are actually seeds, and chestnuts are less a nut than a fruit (and are perishable for that reason). Whatever the definition, there is a huge range available and a myriad of uses for all kinds of nuts. It makes sense to keep a selection squirreled away for snacks, baking and to add to salads, stuffing and sauces. If you don’t have access to your own nut tree or a local nut orchard, a range of fresh nuts in the shell are available at supermarkets and gourmet food stores.

HANDLING AND STORAGE OF NUTS

Nuts will keep for months in the shell, but once shelled they can go rancid very quickly unless stored in a cool, dark place. It’s fair to say the higher the fat content the quicker the nuts will deteriorate. Check for quality before purchasing (a sniff will reveal if they are rancid) and for best results store in the freezer or in the fridge. Nuts will keep 3-6 months refrigerated and will last for a couple of years in the freezer (they can be used straight from the freezer, but keep them in a sealed container to prevent contamination from any strong aromas or flavours from other foods). With the exception of chestnuts, nuts are easily interchanged in cooking, and each will provide its own specific flavour profile. It’s important to remember that the higher the fat content of a nut the more quickly it will cook and brown (macadamias will cook more quickly than peanuts, for instance).

Some staple nuts for the pantry are: almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamias and peanuts. Walnuts make an acceptable substitute for pecans and macadamias can be successfully used in recipes that call for candlenuts. Pesto, essentially a paste of herbs blended with oil and flavoured with Parmesan cheese and nuts, can be made with a variety of different nuts; each will impart its own special flavour to the pesto. You may like to try coriander and cashew pesto, mint and pistachio, or rocket and almond as variations on the following classic pesto recipe.

GENOESE BASIL PESTO

2 packed cups basil leaves
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
¾ cup good-quality olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ tsp salt and grinds black pepper
Optional: ¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts, toasted

Purée all ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Or pound with a mortar and pestle, adding oil once the mixture forms a fine paste.

Storage: Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze in small containers.

Nutrition

Nuts are an excellent source of B vitamins, vitamin E and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. All nuts, except chestnuts, are high in fat, which means more calories. A handful (about 30g) contains between 107 and 200 calories (455 and 850kj), depending on the variety. Peanuts have the lowest calorie count and macadamias the highest. However, most of this fat is unsaturated, and like all plant foods, contains no cholesterol. Brazil nuts are an excellent source of selenium.

For those who don’t eat a lot of meat, nuts provide an excellent source of protein, especially in combination with dairy, legumes and grains. Something as simple as a peanut butter sandwich can provide the same quality of protein as a steak. You can compliment, or even substitute, fish and meat with nuts.

COOKING WITH NUTS

In main dishes and salads, add nuts for flavour and texture. Use crushed or whole nuts as garnishes in salads and as toppings. Raw nuts are a healthy, high-energy snack but few of us can resist the rich taste of roasted or toasted nuts sprinkled with salt or coated in spices.

ROASTED NUTS

It’s very simple to roast your own nuts and the flavour is fresher than any store-bought nuts. Place raw nuts on a baking tray and drizzle or spray with just a little oil, tossing to coat. Spread out and bake at 180ºC until crisp and pale golden. Cooking time depends on fat content. Almonds take about 12-15 minutes while walnuts and pine nuts, which have higher levels of fat, are quicker to cook – test after 10 minutes. Peanuts have slightly less fat than the rest and will take a little longer. Cool nuts before storing – they will crisp as they cool.

TAMARI-ROASTED ALMONDS

2 cup/300g raw whole almonds, shelled
1 tbsp tamari or Japanese soy sauce
2 tbsp neutral oil, eg grapeseed or sunflower

I buy tamari-roasted almonds at my local wholefoods shop but you can also make them very easily. This method also works well with sunflower seeds. Place 2 cups or 300g raw whole almonds on a baking tray. Pour over 1 tbsp Tamari or Japanese soy sauce and 2 tbsp neutral oil and mix through evenly. Spread almonds evenly in dish and roast at 180°C until fragrant and crisp, about 15 minutes. Cool before storing in a sealed jar; they will keep for several weeks.

ALMOND BUTTER

300g raw almonds or cashews
½ cup neutral oil, eg grapeseed or sunflower
¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place 300g raw almonds (or cashews) in a baking dish and mix through half of the ½ cup of oil. Spread out evenly in dish and sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt. Roast until golden and aromatic, 12-15 minutes. Remove nuts from tray and allow to cool, about 30 minutes.

Place cooled nuts in the bowl of a food processor and blend in bursts until they form a fine crumb. Slowly add the rest of the oil and continue blending to form a smoothish butter with a spreadable consistency – do not blend too finely. Store butter in a sealed jar in a cool place; it will keep for a couple of months.

MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED SALMON FILLETS WITH LIME HOLLANDAISE

Fresh salmon fillets offer scope for numerous quick and glamorous transformations that can be prepared ahead ready for a quick flash in the oven at serving time. Here the simple pine nut stuffing transforms the fish into something that looks and tastes as if you have gone to vast effort. If I am serving a first course I put the fish in the oven to cook for 5 minutes while I am setting up the appetiser and give it another 2-3 minute burst to heat through and finish cooking while I am setting out the main course.

6 x 150g/5oz boneless, skinless salmon fillets, cut from the thick end
salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of ½ lemon

Stuffing
¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
10- 12 pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Using a very sharp knife cut a thin slash on an angle on the top of each piece of salmon. Combine parsley, pine nuts, zest and olives. Stuff about 1 tbsp mixture into each slash. Cover and chill until ready to cook.

Heat oven to 220°C/425°F. Season fish with salt and pepper and squeeze over lemon juice. Bake 6-8 minutes or until just cooked through.

Serve salmon with a spoonful of lemon or lime hollandaise, flashroasted cherry tomatoes and roasted baby potatoes and green beans.

• Pesto Roasted Salmon: for a simple ‘on the run’ treatment for any oily fish, slather the slashed fillets with pesto, tapenade or salsa verde before roasting.

ROASTED PEAR & WALNUT SALAD

2 just-ripe pears
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
salt and grinds of pepper
½ cup fresh walnut pieces
6 handfuls (160g) baby
spinach leaves
2 avocados, cut into chunks
1 recipe Raspberry Balsamic Dressing (see below)
50g Parmesan, shaved with a potato peeler

Preheat oven to 200°C. Halve and core pears and slice each half into 6-8 wedges. Place oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add pears and toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer in a baking dish lined with baking paper.

Roast for 20 minutes then add walnuts and cook another 10 minutes until pears are lightly caramelised and nuts lightly toasted. Allow to cool. Place pears and walnuts in a large mixing bowl with spinach, avocados and dressing and gently toss to combine. Pile on to a serving platter and garnish with Parmesan.

¼ cup fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
¾ cup neutral oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and grinds of pepper

Purée all the ingredients in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, mash raspberries well and whisk in all other ingredients. Store dressing in the fridge until ready to use – it will keep for 2-3 weeks. If desired, the dressing can be thinned with a little water or strained to remove the raspberry pips.

• For a main course autumn salad, great for a simple light lunch or supper, add the sliced flesh of 2 chicken breasts to the salad above.

Pasta with Artichokes, Prosciutto & Pine Nuts

200g quality dried pasta
¼ cup Tuscan artichoke spread or commercial artichoke paste
2-3 slices prosciutto, fried until crisp
50g snow peas, blanched
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
freshly grated Parmesan

Cook pasta to packet instructions. Drain cooked pasta, saving ¼ cup cooking water. Mix reserved cooking water with artichoke spread then toss through pasta until evenly combined. Add prosciutto, snow peas and pine nuts. Accompany with Parmesan.

CASSATA

1 cup currants
¼ cup Amaretto, rum or other liqueur
2 litres premium vanilla ice cream
1 cup finely chopped glacé pineapple
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup unsalted pistachio nuts
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Mix currants with Amaretto, rum or other liqueur. Let stand while preparing other ingredients. Scoop ice cream into a large bowl and microwave for 40-60 seconds or leave to soften on bench for 10 minutes. Work with a heavy spoon to soften just enough for ingredients to be mixed through (do not allow to thaw fully).

Add all other ingredients and work quickly to combine evenly. Return mixture to freezer container or individual moulds, cover and freeze for at least 4 hours. Serve in slices or scoops. If desired, garnish with diced pistachios and spoon around vanilla or maple syrup.

Storage: Cassata will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Do not refreeze once melted.

MAPLE BAKED APPLES

4 tart apples, eg Granny Smith
4 pitted dates, chopped
2 tsp chopped walnuts or hazelnuts
4 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup water
4 tsp butter

Remove cores from apples in a neat plug. Use a paring knife to enlarge cavity to 2.5cm diameter. Score the skin around the circumference of each apple with a sharp knife (this allows them to split neatly around the middle when they cook).

Combine dates, nuts, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Stuff mixture into apples and place them in a shallow baking dish. Preheat oven to 180°C. Pour combined maple syrup and water over apples. Dot with butter and bake until apples are wrinkly and soft and starting to puff, about 50-60 minutes. Serve with custard or ice cream.

You will find variations on these recipes and other quick dinner menu ideas in Annabel's books:

• Tamari-Almond & Basil Pesto – p.18
• Couscous with Beets & Almonds – p.110
• Pear & Almond Tarts – p.174

• Basil Pesto – p.16
• Asian Slaw – p.130
• Spicy Stuffed Peppers – p.152

• Caramel Nut Rolls – p.31
• Pad Thai Noodles – p.204
• Balsamic Chicken Breasts with Crispy Mint & Pine Nuts – p.210

• Spiced Almonds – p.12
• Chicken, Grapes & Walnut Salad – p.82
• Soft Meringue Roulade – p.124

• Peaches Stuffed with Amaretti & Almonds – p.26
• Pumpkin Ravioli – p.94
• Italian Nougat – p.134

• Spiced Fruit Loaf – p.46
• Seared Seasame Salmon & Udon Noodles – p.121