Nuts for Christmas

Press, 24 December 1986, Page 13

Nuts for Christmas

Alison Hoist’s

Food Facts L

I have found it useful to have several airtight tins full of nuts which can be produced quickly when friends call in to have a drink, or added to a festive table. You may like to leave a small dish of these, with a Christmas drink, beside the Christmas tree for Santa! It is a considerable saving to buy raw nuts in reasonably large quanities and roast, fry or bake them yourself. If you do this and store them carefully, you can be sure that they are really fresh and crisp. Do not keep them longer than two to three weeks. Older children and teenagers eat such quantities of snacks that peanuts are the cheapest nuts to use for them. Roasted Peanuts Heat the oven to 180 C. Spread plain (uncooked, unsalted) peanuts one liyer thick in a baking tin and bake them for 20-30 minutes or until their col-

our darkens slightly. To skin the roasted peanuts, rub them between your hands. Stand outside in a breeze, and the skins will blow away. When the nuts are cold, store in an airtight jar. Scroggin (roast peanuts, sultanas and pieces of chocolate) is a good mixture to take tramping, or to school when there is no time to make a packed lunch. (Remember not to give peanuts to small children since inhaled peanuts can cause serious trouble.) Salted Cashew Nuts Wash and drain cashews and spread them out thinly, one layer thick, in a shallow roasting pan. For 200 g nuts use.% teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons oil. Bake at 180 C for 10 - 20 minutes shaking the pan or stirring occasionally to make sure the nuts are well coated.

When they turn golden brown remove them and leave them to cool on kitchen or other absorbent paper. They will become crisp as they cool. These nuts need to be hidden carefully, because they are so popular! Curried Walnuts Walnuts are particularly nice baked and salted or spiced. Curried walnuts, although they may sound rather odd, are really delicious .and I notice that a dish of them is always emptied before other nuts are eaten. Walnuts which have been freshly shelled are best. Boil the halved shelled walnuts in water for three minutes before they are baked. Drain them and bake them in a shallow dish until they start to turn golden brown, at 180 C, for 15 - 30 minutes. Watch carefully during cooking.

As soon as they come out of the oven add a little butter and toss them in it, or brush them with melted butter, then'

sprinkle them with a mixture of y 2 teaspoon curry powder to 1 teaspoon salt Leave to cool on absorbent*, paper and store in airtight tins when cold. • Spiced Almonds Nuts.can also be coated with a sweet spicy mixture before they are baked. Use blanched or unblanched almonds. Wash and drain the almonds to be used, then coat them with a little unbeaten egg white. Use 1 -2 teaspoons egg white to 1 cup of almonds, mixing them together with the fingers in a small shallow basin or plate. When they are coated, sprinkle them with a mixture of 2 tablespoons castor sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon or mixed spice. When they are covered with this, spread them out on an oven slide or shallow pan so that they are not touching, and bake them at 150 c for 20 - 30 minutes, until very lightly coloured inside. Cool and hide in airtight tins.