Sweet and Spicy Roasted Mixed Nuts →

Here’s a delicious recipe for roasted mixed nuts your friends and family will love for special occasions or just healthy everyday snacking. They also make a great holiday gift. Use any combination of nuts totaling 11 cups. Adjust the spicy heat and salt to your preference. Happy Holidays!

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Mixed Nuts
Yield 11 cups
Ingredients
· 4 cups mixed of whole almonds, cashews, and peanuts
· 4 cups pecans or walnut halves
·   3 cups pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
·   2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (from about 4 big sprigs; or sub a teaspoon of ground dry rosemary)
·   ¼ cup maple syrup
·   4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
·   3 teaspoons fine sea salt (See *Note)
·   2 teaspoons vanilla extract
·   1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1/4 is mild, use 1/2 teaspoon if you like spicy)

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
1. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat so the maple syrup doesn’t stick to the pan. (It will also stick to aluminum foil.)
2.   Pour the mixed nuts into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
3.   Melt the butter and add the rosemary (or your choice of seasoning), maple syrup, salt, vanilla, and cayenne. Mix well.
4.   Pour the mixture over the nuts in the bowl. Stir well, until all the nuts are lightly coated. Spread the mixture in a single layer across the prepared sheet pan.
5. Bake, stirring to mix after the first 13 minutes Stir again after the next 13 minutes and bake for another 5 minutes. (The nuts will have browned and will look a bit wet. They will crisp up as they cool.) Remove the pan from the oven and stir the nuts once more, spreading them into an even layer across the pan. Let them cool for about 10 minutes and carefully separate any clumps.
6. Cool the nut mixture completely on the pan. The nuts will keep for up to 2 months in a sealed bag or air-tight container at room temperature. (If they last that long.)  Enjoy!
*Note: if you use salted nuts and salted butter, reduce the salt to 2 teaspoons.

Adapted from: https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-party-nuts-recipe/

Spanish Turkey Meatballs with Almonds (Albóndigas de Pavo) →

Photos: c. foodblogchef 2022

Popular in Spanish tapas bars, albóndigas (meatballs in a garlicky-saffron-almond sauce) are the Spanish cousin to Italian meatballs. The word “albóndigas” comes from the Arabic “al-bunduq” meaning hazelnut or a small round object. Traditionally made with veal and ground pork, Spanish albóndigas are thought to have been adapted from an Arab dish during the long period of Moorish rule in Spain. Much like meatballs in Italy, every tapas bar, restaurant, and household in Spain has its own favorite recipe for albondigas, but the foundational flavors for the recipe are onion, garlic, almonds, and saffron. For cooks looking for lower fat alternatives to “red meat”, for this recipe, I substitute ground turkey for the traditional ingredients of pork and veal, and I use Panko bread crumbs in place of torn bread soaked in milk. I also use less tomato than some cooks because I want the garlic, almonds, and saffron to shine in the sauce. Feel free to use ground pork and beef (veal) in place of ground turkey. Try them both ways! These flavorful mini-meatballs are great served as appetizers or hors-d’oeuvres or paired with egg noodles or couscous and veggies as a main meal. Either way, you’re in for a treat! Buen provecho!

Spanish Turkey Meatballs with Almonds (Albóndigas de Pavo)
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
Sauce
·  2 tablespoons olive oil
·  1 medium onion, chopped
·  4-5 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
· 1 cup ripe tomato, seeded and chopped (or crushed canned tomatoes)
·   1 roasted whole pimento from a jar, chopped (sub. seeded and chopped red bell pepper)
·   1 ½ cups chicken broth
·   ½ cup white wine
·   3 tablespoons chopped toasted almonds
·   2 bay leaves
·   1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
·   Pinch of saffron
·   Salt and pepper to taste
Meatballs
·  1 pound ground turkey (or use 1:1 ground pork and beef (veal)
·  1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (unseasoned)
·  2 eggs
·  2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
·  2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted almonds (a small food processor or Magic Bullet works well)
·  ½ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
·  1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
·  2 garlic cloves, finely minced, or grated using a microplane
·  salt and pepper to taste
·  Sliced almonds, toasted for garnish

PREPARATION:
For the sauce:
1. Heat olive oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, tomato, roasted pepper, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, wine, saffron, lemon zest, almonds, and bay leaves and simmer until sauce is thick and chunky about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using adding a bit of chicken broth if necessary to loosen the sauce.)
For the meatballs:
1. Thoroughly combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients with your hands without overworking the mixture or the meatballs will be tough.
2. Shape mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls. Add the meatballs to a hot, lightly oiled heavy bottom skillet and pan-fry over medium-high heat until there is a nicely browned crust on all sides of the meatballs. (See note below.)
3. Add the browned meatballs to the sauce and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes allowing the meatballs to finish cooking and the flavors to meld.

Divide the meatballs among 4 plates. Spoon sauce over. Garnish with sliced almonds and serve.

Wine pairing: Rioja, Tempranillo, or Garnacha (Grenache) would be the wines of choice at most tapas bars. Medoc or Beaujolais would also be good choices. Dry Riesling, Viognier, or white wines from the Rhone Valley would also work with this dish.
*Note: alternatively preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake the meatballs on a lightly oiled sheet pan for about 12 minutes.
Inspired by: Bon Appétit, Spain Collector’s Edition, May 1992.

Chinese Five Spice Nuts →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021
Copy and paste to print the recipe.

CHINESE FIVE-SPICE NUTS
Yield: 2 cups of spiced nuts
Ingredients:
·   1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
·   1 cup unsalted almonds
·   1 cup unsalted cashews
·   1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
·   1 teaspoon salt
·   1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
1.  Toss the almonds with oil.
2.  Add the five-spice powder, salt, black pepper, and toss.
3. Spread on a baking sheet and cook at 300 F for about 45 min.

Store in an airtight container for a few days.

If you would like to try something different from everyday salted nuts to snack on, give this recipe for roasted nuts a try. Chinese Five Spice powder is a blend of warm, fragrant spices: star anise, fennel, cloves, and cinnamon along with exotic Sichuan peppercorns. Use the nuts of your choice. The nuts will stay crunchy in a tightly closed container for several days. Like any roasted nut, wait for them to fully cool to reach full crunchiness. Snack-on!

Rosemary Roasted Marcona Almonds →

Flowering Almond Trees, Ronda, Spain

serves 16

Ingredients

• 2 cups blanched Marcona almonds (or other blanched almond)

• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• a pinch of smokey Spanish pimentón (optional)

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (or 50/50 rosemary and fresh thyme)

• sea salt

Considered the “Queen of Almonds” and ubiquitous to tapas bars in Spain, Spanish Marcona almonds are shorter, rounder and sweeter than common almonds sold in the United States. They are also pricey, but a treat for a special occasion. Before you commit to the cost of using Marconas, you might want to try this recipe with regular unsalted, skinless, blanched almonds. If you’re in a rush and only have access to roasted, salted almonds, omit the salt in the recipe and reduce the roasting time to 5-10 minutes in a 300-degree oven. If you want to “kick it up a notch”, add a couple of pinches of cayenne or chili pepper. Store leftover roasted almonds in an airtight container in the fridge; reheat in a 300-degree oven for 5 minutes before re-serving.
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Mince the herb(s) and mix with the spices and grated lemon zest

2. In a large bowl, drizzle the almonds with the olive oil and mix to coat the almonds; add the spices, lemon zest, and rosemary mixture and toss to coat evenly

3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spread out a single layer of Marcona almonds.

4. Roast almonds 10-15 minutes stirring every 5 minutes until they start to turn a slightly darker brown color. Be careful not to burn during the last 5 minutes, the almonds should be light brown not scorched.

5. Remove from the oven and toss generously with coarsely ground or flaky sea salt. Serve warm.

   Adapted from: https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/toasted-rosemary-marcona-almonds