Nuts in the Kitchen (16 page)

Tofu Satay

Makes 4 servings

This is a lovely dish, based on the Indonesian satay, or saté. It is universally popular because of the peanut sauce and a boon to vegetarian and vegan alike, for it is rich in the protein of nuts and tofu and wild with spicy flavors, along with the perfume of lime juice and the allure of cinnamon-scented rice. I like to serve this with a small bowl of hot pepper flakes alongside, for those who want more spicy kick. Serve this with a simple spinach salad, and a delicious, artisanally made beer.

Note:
Some curry pastes and powders are spicier than others—you’ll want to adjust the amount of seasonings according to those you use.

1.
Put the rice in a sieve and rinse it really, really well under cold water, until the water runs clear.

2.
Put the rice in a medium saucepan with 1 quart (1 liter) water, 2 teaspoons salt, and the cinnamon sticks. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, so the water is still boiling, and continue cooking until there are bubble holes in the top of the rice and all the excess water has boiled away, about 10 minutes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes longer. Then remove the rice from the heat to let it sit and plump. Don’t even be tempted to remove the lid; it needs to rest undisturbed for 10 minutes.

3.
While the rice is cooking, make the peanut sauce. Put 2 teaspoons of the peanut oil in a small skillet with the onion. Stir to coat the onion with the oil, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion
is softened but not browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove it from the heat and reserve.

4.
Put the peanut butter into a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, curry paste, and ¾ teaspoon of the curry powder. Stir in the cooked onion.

5.
Bring the peanut sauce just to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce has thickened somewhat and the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.

6.
Squeeze ½ lime into the peanut sauce, stir, then adjust the seasoning. If you’d like the sauce thicker, whisk in more peanut butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. If you’d like it thinner, whisk in coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Adjust the seasoning and keep the sauce warm over low heat.

7.
Heat the remaining peanut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu—stand back, because it might spit. Season the tofu lightly with salt and the remaining ¾ teaspoon curry powder. Cook it, stirring constantly, until it is golden on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and put the tofu in a shallow bowl.

8.
Squeeze another ½ lime over the tofu and toss it.

9.
Right before serving, mince the parsley leaves and cut the remaining lime into 4 wedges. Place the rice in a shallow serving bowl and arrange the tofu on top. Pour the peanut sauce over all, then sprinkle with the parsley and serve garnished with the lime wedges.

Curried Belgian Endive with Cashews

Roasted Eggplant and Hazelnut Caviar

Quinoa with Macadamia Nuts

Butternut Squash with Leeks and Pecans

Gorgeous Green Spinach with New Garlic

Potatoes with Yogurt and Pistachios

Parsnip and Walnut Fricassee

Nutty Fresh Shell Beans

Sauteed Carrots East Indian Style

Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes with Poppy Seed Dressing

Spiced Rice with Toasty Nuts

A World of Side Dishes: Nuts, Vegetables, and Grains

F
rom Curried Belgian Endive with Cashews to Nutty Fresh Shell Beans, you’ll find in this chapter a variety of nut-laced dishes you can use in a meal to enhance it with flavor, texture, color, and taste. I call the dishes here side dishes because they go so well alongside meats, poultry, seafood, soups, and salads. But the versatility of each means it can be served in different ways, at different points in the meal. Consider slipping one of these dishes in as a first course or serving a duo as a main course. You’ll find each eminently adaptable!

Clarified Butter

Curried Belgian Endive with Cashews

Makes 4 servings

Belgian endive is a winter staple on my table, where I serve it in a wide variety of ways. For such a modest vegetable it is incredibly versatile, offering up a host of different flavors and textures depending on how it is prepared.

Here Belgian endive is braised with Indian spices and raw cashews, and the alchemy in the pan makes this dish irresistible. The raw cashews absorb some of the cooking liquid and take on a meaty texture. The endive softens to a melting texture and then becomes lightly caramelized as the dish finishes cooking. Serve this as a first course or alongside steamed or grilled fish.

Note:
Endives hold heat, and are blistering hot when first removed from the heat. Let them sit and cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Either yellow or black mustard seeds may be used. The black seeds taste nuttier than the yellow ones.

1.
Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook, stirring, until they begin to pop around in the pan. Add the curry powder and stir. Place the endives in the pan, cut side down, and cover them with water. Sprinkle the garlic over the endives, then the cashews, and stir. Finally, sprinkle the endives with the salt, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Turn the endives and continue cooking them, covered, until they are tender but still resist a bit at the center, about 10 additional minutes.

2.
Continue to let them cook, with the cover off, until the liquid has all evaporated and the endives begin to sizzle and turn golden, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the heat and let them cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Roasted Eggplant and Hazelnut Caviar

Makes about 1½ cups (75 g)

This dish is rife with the flavor of hazelnuts, which plays off the tender texture of roasted eggplant. Combine this dish with several others from this chapter to make a meal or serve it in its rightful role as a side dish for roast fish or meat. As is typical for eggplant, this preparation is both elegant and casual, its toothsome meaty and tender texture like that of caponata.

Note:
When buying eggplants, choose those that are very firm and shiny, good indications of freshness. Many recipes call for eggplant to be sprinkled with salt and left to drain, a cure for the bitterness sometimes found in eggplant. If your eggplant is firm and shiny, thus fresh, it doesn’t need salting.

1.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

2.
Roast the eggplants until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel them and coarsely chop the flesh.

3.
While the eggplants are roasting, place the garlic, lemon zest, cilantro leaves, and salt in a mortar and mash the ingredients together with a pestle until they are quite homogenous. Drizzle in the hazelnut oil and lemon juice. Add the eggplant and ground hazelnuts and continue to mash with the pestle until the mixture is chunky but homogenous. Season to taste and serve.

Quinoa with Macadamia Nuts

Makes 6 servings

What makes quinoa extraordinary is its light, crunchy texture and its delicately nutty flavor. I cook it a lot because somehow it’s more exciting, more interesting, just the tiniest bit less predictable, than any other grain I know. Add its uncommonly high protein content and you’ve got a near-perfect food.

Nuts go perfectly with quinoa, as do herbs and nut oils, as here. I hope you will make this often and adapt it to flavors and textures of your choosing. You can serve quinoa in place of rice, and you can have fun with it as well. My favorite way to serve it is to press it gently into a heart-shaped mold and turn it out onto a plate.

Note:
If the macadamia nuts are raw, toast them by preheating the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the nuts in an ovenproof pan and toast them until you begin to smell a toasty aroma and they begin to turn golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. If all you can find are roasted salted macadamias, use them as long as they are sweet and fresh tasting. Be careful not to add any salt to the quinoa until you’ve carefully stirred in the presalted macadamia nuts.

The recipe calls for light sesame oil, which refers to the delicate flavor; Leblanc brand (Chapter Salads) is ideal here.

Rinse the quinoa well to remove the bitter saponins that coat it.

1.
Rinse the quinoa under cold running water until the water runs clear. Place the quinoa in a medium pan and add 2 cups (500 ml) water, the bay leaf, and the salt. Cover, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat so the water is simmering merrily, and cook until
the quinoa is tender, about 12 minutes. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let it sit, covered, for at least 10 minutes and up to 20, to allow the quinoa to fluff up. Remove the bay leaf.

2.
Just before serving, fold the sesame oil into the quinoa, using a large rubber scraper or large spoon. Fold in the macadamias and taste for seasoning.

3.
To serve, using a ½-cup (125-ml) ramekin as a mold, mold the quinoa by simply packing it into the ramekin and then turning it out onto a very warm dinner plate. Garnish with the fresh herbs, if desired, and serve. Alternatively, serve using a large spoon.

Butternut Squash with Leeks and Pecans

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Winter squash combined with leeks, lemon zest, and pecans makes this dish an ode to the season. I enjoyed but didn’t swoon over butternut squash until local farmer Baptiste Bourdon began cultivating it several years ago. Now it’s a favorite; I savor it as much for its fine texture and delicate flavor as for its familiarity. Because it is a relatively unknown squash in France, Baptiste has had to do some serious marketing to get his customers to buy it, and I love hearing him describe the virtues of “boot-air-noot.”

Whichever squash you decide to use here, make sure it is fresh and local.

Note:
Despite being hardy, most varieties of squash are delicate and cook more quickly than you think they will. Handle it gently, and stay close to the stove as it cooks so it doesn’t overcook.

1.
Place the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. As the butter melts, stir it with the oil. As soon as the fats coat the bottom of the pan, add the leeks, stir to coat them with butter and oil, season lightly with salt, cover, and cook, stirring regularly, until the leeks are tender and slightly golden on the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the squash, lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons water and stir so the squash is thoroughly moistened. Season lightly with salt, cover, and cook, occasionally stirring very carefully to avoid breaking up the squash and adding water a tablespoon at a time if needed to
keep the squash from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the squash is tender through, 15 to 18 minutes.

2.
Mince the parsley, remove the squash from the heat, and fold in the parsley and pecans. Season to taste and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.