Nuts in the Kitchen (17 page)

Gorgeous Green Spinach with New Garlic

Makes 4 servings

Gorgeous
is the only word to describe this spinach dish. It is simply perfectly fresh spinach wilted and dressed in the most ethereal, delicate dressing imaginable, yet it is so satisfying that you may want to make it the centerpiece of the meal.

New garlic is simply garlic that has been harvested before it is fully mature, when the cloves are still plump with juice, their skins not yet dried to the papery quality we expect from garlic. Its flavor is hot and fresh, its texture like a firm apple. If you can’t find new garlic, good quality dried garlic is fine.

Note:
Sesame seeds can be found either hulled or unhulled. Hulled sesame seeds are ivory and slightly shiny and rather flat. Unhulled sesame seeds tend to be brown, although they can be red or black, depending on the variety. The unhulled seeds are very delicate to the tooth; the hulled seeds give a slight pop when you bite into them. They can be used interchangeably. When toasting hulled sesame seeds watch out, for the seeds will pop around, sometimes right out of the pan. I cover the pan with a splatter screen to keep them from escaping.

1.
Combine the soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, and sugar in a bowl; mix well. Mince the garlic and stir it into the sauce.

2.
Steam the spinach in the water that clings to its leaves until the leaves are bright green and still retain some of their shape, about 3 minutes. Drain, then squeeze gently to extract some of the liquid. Transfer the spinach to a cutting board. Coarsely chop.

3.
Whisk the soy sauce mixture and add the spinach. Toss until the spinach is thoroughly coated with the sauce.

4.
To serve, either divide the spinach among four small bowls or serve as a side dish. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Potatoes with Yogurt and Pistachios

Makes 6 servings

This dish is a part of the treasure trove of the cuisine of Anatonia, from the long, narrow Fertile Crescent of Turkey. Rich with pistachio nuts, the region’s pride, and lively with the local herbs and spices, this dish—and the cuisine it comes from—is a mix of the hearty and the ethereal.

Although included in the side-dish chapter, this dish easily makes a meal, with a crisp green salad alongside. It is also an ideal accompaniment to the Pistachio- and Pepper-Stuffed Lamb Fillet (Chapter Main Courses).

Note:
Don’t try to substitute low-fat or nonfat yogurt; neither will work.

The point of the clarified butter here is its nutty flavor and high burn point. If you don’t have clarified butter, use regular butter and watch it carefully, as it will brown more quickly than clarified butter.

1.
Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl and let it drain for about 4 hours. The yogurt will be quite thick, about the consistency of soft cream cheese. Transfer the yogurt to a medium saucepan. Whisk in the egg, flour, and garlic and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the yogurt mixture is boiling gently and cook until the mixture thickens and the flavor of the flour is gone, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and reserve.

2.
Place a steamer over medium-high heat and, when the water is boiling, place the potatoes in the steamer, cover, and steam the potatoes until they are tender through, about 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them. If they aren’t small, cut them into 1½-inch (4-cm) chunks.

3.
Melt the clarified butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter begins to melt, add the saffron and stir. Cook the saffron until it begins to sizzle and smell like heaven, then add the onion and stir. Cook until the onions soften at the edges, about 8 minutes, then add the potatoes and stir them into the onion. Season with salt and continue cooking, stirring and shaking the pan often, until the onion is thoroughly softened and the potatoes begin to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the yogurt sauce to the potatoes, stir, then add the pistachios and stir them into the sauce. Cook, stirring and shaking the pan, until all the ingredients are combined thoroughly and heated through, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4.
To serve, either evenly divide the potatoes among six warmed plates and drizzle with equal amounts of mint oil or pass the potatoes and the mint oil separately.

Parsnip and Walnut Fricassee

Makes 2 main-course servings or 4 side-dish servings

Parsnips are a sweet, old-fashioned vegetable, one my grandmother and my father both adored. Instead of the humble staple it was in those generations, though, the parsnip has become a specialty vegetable, something vaunted and chic to cook and eat. If chic is what it takes to get this vegetable back on the table, then I’m all for it. One thing I know for certain is that even the most skeptical of eaters succumbs to the haunting, sweet, buttery flavor and texture of parsnips.

I do my very best to support the parsnip, and the parsnip growers of the world, serving it at every opportunity. This is a favorite preparation, which can either leave the parsnip in its habitual supporting role or make it the main character. Serve this alongside a grilled steak or lamb chops or put it center stage as a first course.

Note:
When buying parsnips, which look like stubby white carrots, look for those that are unblemished and evenly ivory in color. They must be firm and look as though they were harvested recently.

Walnut oil is fragile, so the heat in this recipe is delicate, to preserve the oil’s finest qualities.

1.
Cut the parsnips lengthwise into quarters and cut out the tough core. Cut the parsnip quarters into 1-inch lengths.

2.
Bring a medium pan of salted water to a boil and add the parsnips. Return the water to a boil and cook the parsnips until tender through, about 8 minutes. Drain the parsnips.

3.
In a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, warm the walnut oil and garlic until the garlic is sizzling.
Add the parsnips, walnuts, and fresh thyme leaves and cook, stirring frequently and shaking the pan, until the parsnips are light gold and all the ingredients are hot through, about 8 minutes. Season the parsnips with salt and pepper, toss and stir to combine, then serve.

Nutty Fresh Shell Beans

Makes 6 servings

Fresh shell beans are grown for the seed rather than for the pod. Their season is fleeting—just a couple of short months. Harbingers of autumn, they usually appear at the farmers’ market at the very tip-end of summer, when temperatures begin to be chilly in the morning but days are still full and warm. The first to arrive in my market are speckled red
haricots à ecossais,
called
tongue of fire beans
in the United States. Then come the pale yellow podded version, which we just call
shell beans,
then the gorgeously pale white Paimpol beans.

Whenever they are cooked and eaten, their natural affinity for nuts and nut oils never wanes. As for herbs, savory or rosemary complements them best. I hope you’ll add these to your repertoire.

Note:
Shell and place the beans in sturdy plastic bags, then put them in the freezer. They will keep for many months and can be cooked from their frozen state. Once frozen, they are best added to soups or stews rather than prepared as a separate side dish.

Try these with hazelnut oil, as suggested here, then sample them with other nut oils as well.

Another serving suggestion is to toss these in walnut oil and then top each serving with a freshly sautéed piece of foie gras.

1.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and 2 to 3 sprigs of herbs and cook, covered, until the beans are just tender through, about 15 minutes. Keep warm in the water until ready to serve.

2.
Just before serving, discard the herbs, drain the beans, and transfer the warm beans to a medium bowl. Toss with the hazelnut oil and season with salt and
pepper. Remove the leaves from the remaining herbs, coarsely chop them, and add to the beans. Toss well and place an equal amount in each of six warmed shallow bowls. Season with the fleur de sel and garnish with the rosemary sprigs at the last minute.

Sautéed Carrots East Indian Style

Makes 4 servings

India is the world’s largest producer of cashews. On the trees, cashews look like a big comma hanging from the bottom of a bulbous fruit called a
cashew apple.
Considering the work involved in getting the cashew from its dual shells (and avoiding a very caustic oil that resides between them), their price should rival that of the gold standard. They are very available and affordable, however, and here they combine with spices to make carrots seem like something exotic and more than just delicious. I serve this with roast chicken that I’ve rubbed under the skin with some curry powder.

Note:
Be sure to remove the hot chile before you serve this dish. These carrots are also good at room temperature.

1.
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the mustard seeds. They’ll jump and pop all over the place, so cover the pan with a splatter screen and shake it to move them around. Add the carrots, shallots, spices, chile, and coconut, stir, and add about ¼ teaspoon salt. Add ½ cup (125 ml) water, bring it to a simmer, and cook the carrots, covered, until they are tender, checking after about 10 minutes to be sure the water hasn’t evaporated. If it has, and the carrots aren’t quite tender through, add another ½ cup (125 ml) water and continue cooking. The carrots should cook for approximately 20 minutes total.

2.
Remove the cover and stir in the cashews. Continue cooking the carrots, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, remove and discard the chile, season to taste, and serve.

Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes with Poppy Seed Dressing

Makes 4 to 6 servings

My children and I are ravenous Brussels sprout eaters. I steam and braise them, roast and sauté them, even occasionally separate their little leaves and dress them in a vinaigrette to eat raw.

Combined with potatoes as they are here, their sweet flavor emerges more than ever. When dressed with the poppy seed dressing, the combination turns into something very special.

Note:
Brussels sprouts must be very, very fresh or their flavor will be bitter. Marion Pruitt, who tests my recipes, used frozen Brussels sprouts when making this. Her comment: “What a surprise! These frozen gems were much better than anything I’ve had this year…tender, sweet, with a clean, fresh taste!” It makes sense, since the vegetables are flash frozen shortly after harvest.

1.
Place the potatoes in a saucepan and just cover with water. Add the coarse salt, bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are tender through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

2.
Bring 3 cups (750 ml) water to a boil in the bottom half of a steamer. Place the Brussels sprouts over the steaming water and steam just until they are tender all the way through but still have their bright green color, about 8 minutes.

3.
Place the Brussels sprouts and the potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with the poppy seed dressing, then carefully fold the dressing into the vegetables until they are coated thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.