T
hey have been a
wellloved food for
thousands of years
And what a world of
texture and flavour they bring to
just about every global cuisine
especially Mediterranean food
Nuts make nutritious snacks
providing healthy oils dietary
fibre vitamins minerals and
protein and serve us as great
ingredients for both flavour and
texture in hundreds of dishes
Nut oils are among the finest
for salad dressings and cooking
and nut meals (ground nuts)
are especially prized for making
recklessly rich cakes Freshness
is vital and roasting brings
out wonderful new flavour
in many nuts
CHOOSING
Shelled nuts on sale are often
stale so it is best to buy nuts in
the shell which protects them
from rancidity unless you can
get them from a trusted retailer
with a high turnover or find vacuumpacked ones Avoid any
nuts in the shell that rattle or are
light for their size as these may
mean the nuts are wizened
STORING
Store nuts in the shell in an
airtight container away from
heat light and moisture Store
loose shelled nuts under the
same conditions for a short
period or in an airtight container
in the refrigerator for up to
months or in the freezer for
months Store shelled nuts
in unopened packets in airtight
containers (only one kind of
nut to a container) once opened
store them as described for
shelled nuts
PREPARATION
Roasting not only enhances
their flavour but makes nuts
crunchier With the exception
of pine nuts and flaked almonds
it is better to roast them in the
oven as opposed to the stove
top as it’s hard to heat the nuts
through sufficiently without scorching the exterior first
Most nuts will take
minutes
in a
CC fan oven
Blanching chopping or
grinding are best carried out
just before using nuts as their
exposed surfaces rapidly lose
flavour when exposed to air
The skins of almonds and
hazelnuts are quite bitter so you
will want to remove as much
as possible before using them
for baking Skin almonds by
blanching them Place nuts in
a heatproof bowl and cover with
boiling water for a couple of
minutes Drain and place them
in a bowl of cold water Drain
again and the skins should slip
off easily when the almond
is squeezed between the thumb
and forefinger
To skin hazelnuts roast
the nuts on an oven tray in
a moderate oven for about
minutes shaking the tray
occasionally and checking to
make sure they’re not burning bout it
Fr vour and texture to great
there’s not much these
nutritious snacks from nature can’t do.
Nu
AWW FOOD • ISSUE FIFTY THREE