Nuts in the Kitchen (7 page)

Green Mango or Papaya Salad—Som Tam

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

I had not been in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for more than ten minutes before I was speeding down side roads, over the Ping River, through harsh sunlight and down a dusty street where my friend and guide, Sunny Bovormat, screeched to a halt. With Andy Ricker, Thai food expert, we descended from the car and entered a lush, breezy world. It was a wonderfully cool restaurant with a thatched roof, no walls, and three kitchens, each responsible for something different. The green papaya salad kitchen, which was near the grilled meats section, was the busiest, the “pok pok” of the mortar and pestle the background music to the ambience. My two expert guides ordered som tam the way they wanted it, for in Thai restaurants it is the client who creates the recipe. I loved my hosts’ choice, and this is their recipe.

Note:
I call for either green mangoes or papaya here. You may actually use any vegetable mixed with either of the two or, if you cannot find a green papaya or mango, substitute grated unripe pear or an unripe apple—something crisp and tart.

All of the Asian ingredients can be found at Asian markets and many supermarkets.

1.
Place the garlic, chile, and palm sugar in a mortar and grind them together until they make a paste. Add the dried shrimp and pound them until they break apart. Add the long bean and just crush it with the pestle, then stir in the lime juice and sh sauce.

2.
Add the shredded mango and pound it just slightly into the sauce ingredients, then continue mixing using
two forks until all the ingredients are combined. Stir in the tomatoes and peanuts and taste for seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a shallow serving bowl and serve immediately, making sure that each guest gets some of the dressing and the juice that the green mango will give up.

Eggplant with Saffron Walnuts

Makes 6 servings

Walnuts, eggplant, saffron, and fresh herbs are combined in this rustic dish. Make it at the height of summer when eggplant is plentiful. Serve it warm or at room temperature as a first course, alongside grilled fish or meat as a side dish, or as the main course of a vegetarian meal.

Note:
Oven baking, rather than frying, softens the eggplant, and economizes on the amount of oil used.

Note, too, that eggplant needs salting to remove bitterness if it isn’t freshly harvested. If you find a firm, shiny-skinned, fresh-from-the-farm or -garden eggplant, there’s no need to salt it.

1.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Brush two baking sheets each with 2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil. Place the saffron in a small dish and cover with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Reserve.

2.
Place the eggplant slices on the prepared baking sheets, then brush each slice with olive oil, using about 1 tablespoon altogether. Sprinkle the slices lightly with sea salt and bake until they are golden and slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Turn the slices, season lightly with salt, and continue baking until they are tender through but not dry, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven.

3.
While the eggplant are cooking, place 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil and the onions in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook until the garlic has softened,
4 to 5 minutes. Add the walnuts, the saffron with its lemon juice, and the remaining lemon juice and cook, stirring, until the lemon juice has evaporated and the onions are soft through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4.
Mince the herbs and stir them into the onion and walnut mixture until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

5.
Spread 2 tablespoons of the onion and walnut mixture on the wider end of each of the eggplant slices, then fold the narrower end over the stuffing and press the eggplant gently down over the filling, to form a small packet. Arrange the packets on a warmed serving platter. Drizzle the packets with the remaining olive oil, then top with any remaining stuffing. Season with fleur de sel and serve hot or at room temperature.

Brazil Nut Pesto with Pasta

Makes ¾ cup (185 ml)

The crisp crunch of Brazil nuts yields an unexpected pesto. A delicate anise flavor from the basil makes it familiar, yet the herbal zest of flat-leaf parsley adds a new dimension. This pesto can be used like any other—on pasta, under the skin of chicken destined for roasting, as a dip for raw vegetables, slathered on pizza hot from the oven. It fits into a meal in just about any spot but dessert!

Note:
Only half of the pesto is used here, so you will have some left over to use as you like.

1.
Place the nuts and the garlic in a food processor or in a mortar and pulse or crush until they are coarsely chopped. Add the herbs and lemon zest and process or pound until all are blended into a relatively smooth but still somewhat chunky mixture. With the food processor running, or stirring with a pestle, slowly add the olive oil until it is combined with the herbs and nuts.

2.
Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano until thoroughly combined. Season with salt if necessary and reserve.

3.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.

4.
Place the pasta in the salted water and cook just until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl
and stir in half the pesto. Taste for seasoning and moisture. If you want the pasta with a more intense pesto flavor, add additional pesto. If the pasta is dry, add some of the cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the pasta is moist enough to suit you. Serve immediately.

Green Beans, White Peaches, and Almonds

Makes 6 servings

Credit for this dish goes to Chef Alain Passard of the restaurant Arpège, in Paris, where I tasted it some years ago. What I loved most about it were the immature green almonds sprinkled on top. They are the perfect, tender-crisp foil for the juicy white peaches and succulent green beans, an unusual little element whose delicacy is echoed with almond oil on the green beans and in the vinaigrette.

Come midsummer, green almonds are in the marketplace, hidden in their furry green shells. They are soft, juicy, and tender for just a moment before they begin to toughen up, develop their brown skin, and turn into the almonds we all know.

Note:
Green almonds are available by mail order from www.greenalmonds.com. If you miss the season and want to make this salad, use regular, blanched almonds.

1.
Bring 3 cups (750 ml) water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Steam the green beans until they are tender through but still a vivid green, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the beans to a large bowl and toss them with the almond oil. Reserve.

2.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and the salt. Add the shallot, whisk, then slowly whisk in the oils. Season lightly with the pepper.

3.
Cut each peach into thin wedges. Add the peaches to the raspberry vinaigrette and toss gently.

4.
To assemble the salad, evenly divide the beans among six serving plates. Top each plate with an equal amount of peaches. Dust with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve immediately.

Avocado with Pistachio Oil and Chives

Makes 6 servings

Simple and pure, this is the perfect combination of ingredients. I use pistachio oil produced in Burgundy by the Leblanc family, which is like an elixir filled with the flavor of the best Turkish pistachio nuts, lightly toasted, carefully pressed. You can order Leblanc pistachio oil from ingoodtastestore.com, and I suggest you do so. It is well worth it. Otherwise, substitute the best possible extra virgin olive oil and use 3 tablespoons of pistachio nuts.

Note:
To choose a perfect avocado, test it very gently—it should have the same firmness as the end of your nose, firm but with a bit of give.

If you have an abundance of avocados, refrigerate them; they will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week.

1.
Arrange 8 avocado slices on each of six plates, fanning them out nicely.

2.
Mince the chives and, in a small bowl, mix them with the pistachio oil. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the avocado slices and season with fleur de sel.

3.
Evenly sprinkle the minced pistachios over the avocado.

4.
Separate the individual blossoms from the chive flowers and sprinkle them over the avocado. Serve immediately.

Parsley, Green Olive, and Walnut Salad

Makes 6 servings

I remember the way my mouth filled with the bright, green herbal flavor of parsley when I ate this salad at a restaurant in Gaziantep, Turkey. Bright and flavorful, it manages to be delicious and feel healthy and cleansing at the same time.

In Gaziantep, this salad is the traditional accompaniment for the city’s noted kebabs, which are grilled over coals. I like to serve this with any grilled meat or fish, or as a first course to introduce a meal of roasted meat, fish, or poultry.

Note:
If you cannot find pomegranate molasses (it is available at Middle Eastern groceries), substitute balsamic vinegar, although it doesn’t have the syrupy, tart depth of the pomegranate molasses.

A little note on pitting olives: You can use an olive or cherry pitter, but a more efficient method is to place several olives in a row on a work surface and smack them lightly but firmly with the flat side of a knife. The olives will burst, releasing their pits, which are then easy to pop out.

1.
Place the scallions, bell pepper, parsley leaves, green olives, and walnuts in a medium bowl and toss. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, salt, pepper, and olive oil until thoroughly combined.

2.
Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss until thoroughly coated. Evenly divide the salad among six salad plates. Garnish each salad with the pomegranate seeds if desired. Serve immediately.