Leftover Nuts? Lots of great ideas here …

Sorting out all my bits and pieces in the storecupboard I found an inordinate number of different leftover nuts that needed using up so, I’ve been adding them to all sorts of things. If you find yourself in a similar situation here are lots of nutty ideas!

Before I start on nut recipes and ideas, I’d just like to mention that roasting or toasting nuts makes them crisper and tastier and are a good way to rejuvenate slightly old nuts. They are just as good, or better, than untoasted nuts for cooking with. The nuts can be seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices of your choice before cooking. See end of post for how to do this.

Add Leftover Nuts to …

See here for which ingredients and flavours pair with different nuts.

~ Toss into salads – all sorts of salads will take kindly to the addition of a few nuts but this
Blue Cheese & Sugar Spiced Walnuts Salad is particularly good.

~ Add to stir fries – cashews spring particularly to mind here.

~ Mix into stuffing – it doesn’t have to be Christmas, by the way, to eat stuffing!

~ Combine with vinaigrette as in this Toasted Nut of your Choice Vinaigrette

~ Sprinkle coarsely chopped nuts on gratins such as cauliflower cheese.

~ Sprinkle onto ice cream and sundaes, porridge, cereals, and bread pudding.

~ Add to muesli and granola.

~ Mix into popcorn.

~ Add chopped nuts to cheesecake base.

~ Mix into Recycled Biscuit Cake aka Tiffin

~ Add to baking recipes, where incidentally toasted nuts are less likely to sink to the bottom
of a cake.

~ Add to crumble topping.

~ Cook into pancakes like this to make sure the nuts don’t burn. Pecans
will be lovely if you are serving the pancakes with maple syrup.

~ Mix into sweet compound butters.

~ Add a few chopped nuts to the lovely crunchy breadcrumb garnish called Pangrattato.

Leftover Nut Recipes

And here’s a few nut recipes if you have rather a lot of leftover nuts to get rid of, or of course, you could buy some especially!

Nut Brittle

Any nuts can be used to make brittle although I think cashews, peanuts or pecans are best, a mixture is good and salted nuts are excellent. Use toasted, roasted or plain nuts. You only need two ingredients; equal quantities of coarsely chopped nuts and caster sugar, oh and a bit of water!

~   Firstly, see here for how to make caramel and have a good read!
~   Put a lightly greased baking tray beside the stove.
~   Melt together the sugar and 4 tbsp water per 100g sugar. Cook to a rich caramel colour as
per instructions.
~   Stir in the nuts (and a pinch of sea salt is good too) and immediately and very carefully tip
the whole lot onto the greased baking tray.
~   Leave to cool then break into pieces.

Praline

Praline is simply coarsely ground or smashed up nut brittle and can be used in lots of ways for instance this delicious (OK, I’m big headed) and so simple ice cream recipe from my book Luscious Ice Creams without a Machine

Slightly Alcoholic Nut of Your Choice Praline Ice Cream

A little alcohol in this ice cream makes for a much softer, smoother texture, try to match the booze (and we are talking spirits or liqueurs here) to the chosen nut e.g. Frangelica with hazelnuts, Amaretto with almonds, Bourbon seems right for pecans and brandy for most things.

Roasting or Toasting Nuts

Use these nuts in the same way you would use un-toasted or un-roasted nuts!

5 Important Points when Roasting or Toasting Nuts

1.  Don’t let the nuts get too dark or they will be bitter
2.  Don’t leave the nuts on the baking tray or in the pan when they are ready, transfer to a cool plate or tray so that they don’t go on cooking in the residual heat.
3. The nuts will become crisper as they cool.
4. Don’t cook the nuts too far in advance as they will soften again after no long – just prepare what you need.
5. Don’t chop the nuts till they are cold or they may become oily.

Roasted Nuts

~   Preheat oven to 180c/350F/160Fan/gas 4
~   Spread your nuts (!!!) on an ungreased baking tray, not touching if possible.
~   Roast in the oven for 5 minutes then stir and redistribute the nuts, swapping the edge nuts with the ones in the middle.
~   Roasting time varies so keep an eye on them; they need to be a shade or so darker and fragrant; too dark and they’ll be bitter. Pop back in the oven for 3 minutes and if they are not ready, check every few minutes till they are. Keep an eye on them, it shouldn’t take long.

Toasted Nuts

~   Shake and stir nuts in a dry pan over medium heat till crunchy, fragrant and golden – stir in a knob of butter for extra deliciousness.

If you have any more ideas for leftover nuts (you probably have!) please
leave them in the comments. Thank you.