Nuts in the Kitchen (8 page)
Unbeatable Red Beets and Walnuts
Makes about 5 cups (625 g); 8 to 10 servings
I could eat beets three meals a day. I like them raw, roasted, steamed, braised, stewed, pickled, and pureed. Here I’ve opted for the pureeing, after simmering them gently with lots of herbs. Then I combine them with plenty of walnuts, garlic, and cilantro to give this salad its true Middle Eastern personality.
I serve this in very small bowls or espresso cups as a refreshing appetizer or as a first-course salad, accompanied by several romaine or other crisp lettuce leaves tucked around the edges, which can be used to scoop up and eat the beet salad.
TO COOK THE BEETS:
2 pounds (1 kg) beets, well-rinsed, unpeeled
4 celery stalks, strings removed, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) lengths
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch of cilantro
TO FINISH THE SALAD:
2 cups (200 g) walnuts, lightly toasted
Mounded ¼ teaspoon freshly ground coriander, or to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons best-quality red-wine vinegar
1 cup (7 g) cilantro leaves, gently packed
Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
Note:
Depending on the acidity of your vinegar, you may want to add a bit more than is called for in the recipe, for the dish should be a good balance of sweet and tart.
1.
To cook the beets, place them, the celery, and 3 garlic cloves in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the coarse salt, the parsley, and the bunch of cilantro and cover with 2 inches (5 cm) of water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium so the water is boiling gently and cook until the beets are tender through, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Remove the beets from the liquid and let cool. Strain the liquid and discard the vegetables and herbs. Reserve ½ cup (125 ml) of the cooking liquid.
2.
While the beets are cooking, place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse several times to chop the nuts until they are nely ground but haven’t gotten oily. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl.
3.
When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel, cut them into quarters, and place them in a food processor. Add the reserved cooking liquid and pulse until they are coarsely chopped. Transfer the beets to the bowl with the ground walnuts and add the ground coriander, the minced garlic, and the vinegar. Fold the ingredients together.
4.
Mince the cilantro leaves and stir into the beet mixture until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add sea salt and white pepper for seasoning. Serve either at room temperature or chilled.
Malloreddus de Kita Santa—Tiny Sardinian Gnocchi for Good Friday
Makes 4 servings
Efisio Farris, chef and owner of Arcodoro restaurants in Dallas and Houston, Texas, “loaned” me this recipe from his native Sardinia. It is a simple, meatless pasta dish that honors the fasting of Good Friday, the leanness of the season, and the joy of herbs and nuts that punctuate all of Sardinian cuisine. Like Efisio, it bursts with personality, popping with flavor all over the mouth. Though this is an Easter season dish, I make it year-round, for it is satisfying, simple, delicious, and not your ordinary pasta dish.
This recipe is adapted from Efisio’s Book
Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey: The Mediterranean Flavors of Sardinia
(Rizzoli International Publications, 2007).
¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, nely chopped
½ cup (5 g) basil leaves
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
½ cup (5 g) flat-leaf parsley leaves
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3
cup (35 g) walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound (500 g) malloreddus or other pasta, such as penne or fusilli
2 tablespoons ne dry bread crumbs
1 ounce (30 g) pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano, nely grated (½ cup)
Note:
The addition of a bit of butter here smooths out the sauce, adding a hint of luxury.
1.
Place 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is softened and beginning to turn golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer the olive oil and garlic to a bowl large enough to accommodate all the pasta.
2.
Mince the basil, the rosemary, and the parsley and add them, along with the walnuts and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, to the garlic and olive oil in the bowl, stirring until combined. Add the butter and reserve.
3.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until it is al dente, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain
the pasta, add it to the herb and oil mixture in the bowl, and toss very well, until everything is thoroughly combined and the butter is melted. Add the bread crumbs and toss, then add the cheese and toss well. Season to taste and serve immediately.
Grilled Vegetable Tarts with Pumpkin Seeds
Makes 6 servings
These tarts burst with color and texture, and will delight with their combination of grilled vegetables; flaky, tender pastry; and exotic flavors. They’re a perfect first course or a satisfying main course along with a big salad. You can assemble them as much as an hour before guests arrive.
1 recipe Parmigiano-Reggiano Pastry (Chapter The Basics)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large (10-ounce/300 g) eggplant, trimmed and cut into ½-inch (1.25-cm) thick rounds
2 medium (7-ounce/210-g) zucchini, trimmed and cut lengthwise into ½-inch (1.25-cm) thick slices
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium (9-ounce/270 g) red bell peppers
1 medium (5-ounce/150 g) onion, cut into eighths
1 tablespoon ras el hanout, or to taste
½ teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 rounded tablespoons pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
Fresh basil or chervil leaves for garnish
Note:
Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice mixture found easily in a Middle Eastern grocery shop. You can substitute an excellent curry powder or a dash of cumin.
1.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the pastry so that it is about
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8
inch thick. Cut out six 4-inch (10-cm) rounds of pastry and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Prick them all over with the tines of a fork and refrigerate until ready to bake. Save any extra pastry for another use.
2.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
3.
Brush two baking sheets with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place the rounds of eggplant and the strips of zucchini on the baking sheet. Brush the rounds of eggplant and the zucchini with another tablespoon of the oil. Season the eggplant and zucchini lightly with salt and pepper. Place the bell peppers on a sheet of thick aluminum foil. Place the vegetables in the oven and roast until the eggplant and zucchini are golden on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip the eggplant and zucchini, season them lightly with salt and pepper, and roast until golden
on the other side, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Remove them from the oven. Leave the peppers in the oven until they are soft and their skin is wrinkled, another 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and wrap them in the aluminium foil.
4.
As soon as the zucchini is cool, dice the strips and place them in a medium bowl. As soon as the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove all the skin and seeds and dice the peppers. Add them to the zucchini in the bowl.
5.
Place the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the onion in a heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until tender through, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and add to the vegetables in the bowl. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the ras el hanout over the vegetables and fold them together until all the vegetables are thoroughly combined. Taste for seasoning and add the remaining ras el hanout and salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the vinegar. Keep warm.
6.
Reduce the oven temperature to 425°F (220° C). Bake the pastry in the center of the oven until the rounds are golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer one to each of six warmed plates.
7.
Fold the toasted pumpkin seeds into the vegetable mixture. Top each pastry with an equal number of eggplant rounds, then top the eggplant with an equal amount of the roasted vegetables. Garnish with the fresh herbs and serve.
Pistachio Music
The moon has risen full, softly illuminating the inky sky above a pistachio orchard near Aleppo, in Syria. The silvery branches of the trees shimmer like skin through wide and velvety green leaves. Hanging from them are endless grapelike clusters of nuts, their dusty-rose skins soft in the moonlight. The nuts are secretive; they give neither juice nor aroma to hint at their ripeness; the harvest moon reveals their progress.
The farmer stands at the edge of the orchard, waiting. He thinks tonight the bright green nuts may grow that final bit to burst the shell and skin. His head, bathed by moonlight, inclines. In the dark, a tiny puff of air floats through the orchard, audible to itself. Then there is another and another as nut follows nut with its final spurt of growth, bursting its shell, until all through the orchard the tiny hot breaths become music. Out under the moon more and more farmers come to hear pistachio music, the hauntingly joyful tune of the harvest.
Mushroom and Walnut Tarte Tatin
Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) tart; 4 to 6 servings
This is a savory play on France’s most popular dessert, tarte Tatin, which is made with slowly caramelized apples baked under a tender crust. When removed from the oven, the tart is flipped onto a platter so that the caramelized apples that were hidden under the pastry now glisten in the light. This savory mushroom and walnut version, inspired by my dear friend Patricia Wells, gets the same treatment, resulting in a perfect first course for an elegant meal or a main course accompanied by a green salad.
One-half recipe On Rue Tatin’s Tender Tart Pastry (Chapter The Basics)
3 tablespoons goose or duck fat or extra virgin olive oil
1½ pounds (625 g) cultivated or wild mushrooms, trimmed and cut into thick slices
Sea salt
1 cup (10 g) flat-leaf parsley leaves, gently packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup (50 g) walnut pieces, lightly toasted and minced
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
FOR THE WALNUT OIL VINAIGRETTE:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt to taste
¼ cup (60 ml) walnut oil, preferably Leblanc brand
Fleur de sel for garnish
Note:
When choosing cultivated mushrooms, look for those that are slightly open near the head of the stem; they are more mature than those that are tightly closed and will offer more flavor. Note too, that during wild-mushroom season, you can substitute any mushrooms, including cèpes, chanterelles, or morels.
When you flip the tart and remove the pan, great care must be taken not to be burned by the steam issuing from the pan.
1.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Heavily oil a 9-inch (22.5-cm) tarte Tatin pan or a heavy ovenproof skillet.
2.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into an 11-inch (28-cm) round. Place the round on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours. The pastry can also be frozen at this point.
3.
Heat the goose fat in a 12-inch (30-cm) nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt, and sauté just until they wilt and begin to give up their juices, about 5 minutes.
4.
Mince half the parsley.
5.
Reduce the heat and add the thyme, garlic, the minced parsley, and half of the minced walnuts. Cook, stirring regularly and shaking the pan, until the mushrooms have reabsorbed most of their juices, a minute or two more. Season generously with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
6.
Transfer the mushroom mixture to the tart pan or skillet. Place the filled pan on a baking sheet. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and place it on top of the mushroom mixture, gently pushing the edges of the pastry down around the edge of the pan. Return to the oven and bake until the pastry is golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
7.
While the tart is baking, prepare the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and salt and whisk to dissolve the salt. Add the walnut oil and whisk to combine. Taste for seasoning.
8.
Remove the tart from the oven. Immediately place a serving platter with a lip atop the skillet. Quickly but carefully flip the skillet so that platter is on the bottom. Using a spatula or an offset knife, lift the skillet off the platter and let the burst of steam float away, then remove the skillet from the platter. If any mushrooms stick to the pan, gently transfer them to the top of the pastry.
9.
Mince the remaining parsley and sprinkle atop the mushrooms with the remaining walnuts. Drizzle with the walnut oil vinaigrette, season with fleur de sel, and serve.
