Purple kale, shallots and almonds
Toasted almonds bring great warmth and depth of flavour to this very pretty plate.
One: A Cook and Her Cupboard by Florence Knight (Salt Yard)
Serves 4
6 banana shallots
6 sprigs of thyme
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
1 garlic clove
A pinch of brown sugar
75g whole almonds
300g purple curly kale
1 tbsp butter
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Peel the shallots, carefully removing the root, but leaving them whole. Wedge them into a medium pan with the thyme sprigs, 2 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on a low flame for 30 minutes, until the shallots have softened and collapsed a bit, but have a little colour. Meanwhile, peel and crush the garlic.
2 Add the garlic and sugar to the shallots. Turn up the heat and cook for 10 minutes uncovered, stirring once or twice, until the shallots are sticky and squishy.
3 Meanwhile, toast the almonds in the oven with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt on a baking tray for three minutes, until they turn amber. When cool, chop the almonds roughly.
4 Wash the kale and cut through the ends of any tougher stalks with a knife to split them. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the kale for a minute or two – no longer as you want it to keep its bite. Drain and set aside.
5 Warm the butter in a medium-size pan. When it begins to froth, add the shallots. Top with the kale, stir gently then sprinkle over the almonds and season to taste. Serve immediately.
Chocolate and marzipan balls
Almonds and dark chocolate – actually any chocolate – are quite the match. Combined with boozy raisins, they simply can’t be bettered.
Bocca Cookbook by Jacob Kenedy (Bloomsbury)
Makes about 16 balls
150g raisins
100ml rum
100g granulated (or caster) sugar
200g bitter chocolate, broken into pieces
For the marzipan (or use 900g ready-made)
500g blanched almonds
10g bitter almonds , or 1½ tsp extract
300g caster sugar
25g glucose syrup or runny honey
75ml water
1 Soak the raisins in the rum overnight.
2 To make the marzipan (if you’ve not bought it), put the almonds, bitter almonds (if using) and caster sugar in a food processor and grind until they are fine as sand and starting to stick together. Add the glucose syrup along with the water and extract, if using. Work to a smooth, hot paste. Turn out into a container, cover tightly, and leave to cool.
3 Mix the sugar into the rum and raisins, to bind them into a sloppy filling.
4 Divide the marzipan into 50g portions, and roll them into balls. Dent each ball with your thumb, and shape the marzipan into a cup. Fill the cavity with a little raisin mix, and close the marzipan around it, pinching to seal. The filling must be completely enclosed, as it will become more liquid as the sugar dissolves, and seep out of any holes. Roll into a ball again, and refrigerate while you make the rest.
5 Melt the chocolate in a microwave or bain-marie): if you know how to temper it, do so, otherwise, don’t bother. If the balls are well chilled when you dip them, untempered (normal, melted) chocolate will be fine. Dip the balls one by one, rolling them around until covered, then swiftly lift out with a fork. Wave the fork up and down a couple of times to help the chocolate drain off, as you want the thinnest coating possible. Put the ball on a tray lined with greaseproof paper to set. They can be eaten as soon as the chocolate is hard, or kept in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
Raisin, almond and cucumber yoghurt mezze
This simple, fresh dip highlights the crunchy lightness of the nut, paired with creamy yoghurt and cleansing cucumber.
Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons by Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley)
Makes around 500g
40g raisins
40g blanched almonds
½ cucumber, halved, seeds discarded, diced
A small handful of coriander
10ml harissa
30ml olive oil
350g Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt and black pepper
1 Soak the raisins in hot water for 15 minutes until they plump up. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan, then roughly chop. Mix the drained raisins with all the other ingredients, adjust the seasoning. Serve.
Chicken with apricots and almonds (mahmudiye)
A scattering of almond is an elegant garnish for this intense Ottoman dish, known as mahmudiye. Chicken leg or thigh meat is tastiest, but you can also use breast.
Istanbul by Rebecca Seal (Hardie Grant)
Serves 4
60g stoned dried apricots
1 tbsp currants
20g butter
¼ onion, finely chopped
150g shallots, peeled but left whole
½ tsp salt
600g chicken thighs or legs, bones removed
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp black pepper
700ml hot chicken stock
50g flaked almonds
80g orzo
1 Soak the apricots and currants in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and slice each apricot into 2 or 3 pieces. Melt the butter in a large pan with a lid and add the onion and shallots. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until softened and slightly brown. Add the salt.
2 Cut the chicken into 5cm pieces, removing most of the skin. Add to the pan and brown gently. Once the chicken is golden all over, add the cinnamon, lemon juice and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the stock and dried fruits. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
3 Check the chicken is tender – cook for a little longer if not. If there is a lot of liquid, reduce with the lid off. Toast the almonds in a dry pan until just golden. Tip out immediately. Add the orzo to the chicken and simmer for 3 minutes or until just cooked. Serve scattered with the toasted almonds.
Lamb tagine with raisins, almonds, and honey (mrouzia)
Mrouzia is slow-simmered Moroccan stew that showcases almonds in a sweet and savoury setting. Serve sparingly as part of a feast – it’s rich in honey and spices.
Moroccan Cuisine by Paula Wolfert (Grub Street)
Serves 8
1.3kg lamb neck, cut into about 10 pieces, each with some bone left on
Salt, to taste
1½ tsp ras el hanout
¼ tsp powdered ginger
½ tsp black pepper
A pinch of pulverised saffron
650ml water, plus more if needed
300g blanched, whole almonds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut up
3 small cinnamon sticks
115g unsalted butter or salad oil
450g raisins
12 tbsp dark, heavy honey, such as Greek Mount Hymettus
1 tbsp powdered cinnamon
1 Put the lamb in a heavy casserole. Mix the salt, ras el hanout, ginger, pepper, and saffron with 1 tbsp of the water and rub into the meat. Add the almonds, garlic, cinnamon sticks, butter or oil, and the rest of the water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 1½ hours. Add more water, if necessary, to avoid burning the meat.
2 Add the raisins, honey, and ground cinnamon and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Uncover the casserole, then reduce the sauce over high heat, turning the meat and fruit often to avoid scorching, until there is only a thick honey glaze, coating the meat, left in the pan. Serve the tagine while still hot, or allow it to cool a little first.
Cauliflower, almond and turmeric soup
A silken potage that pairs creamy almonds with soft, pureed cauliflower.
Leon Ingredients and Recipes by Allegra McEvedy (Conran Octopus)
Serves 4-5
1 very large cauliflower (about 1.5kg)
50g butter
1 very large onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground or whole fenugreek
½ tsp ground ginger
70g ground almonds
1 litre vegetable stock
600ml whole milk
A small handful of whole almonds, skin on, crushed
Lemon wedges
Salt and black pepper
1 Cut the florets off the cauliflower and chop roughly. Quarter the trunk and slice that too.
2 Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion, garlic, turmeric, fenugreek, ground ginger and sliced cauliflower stalk, and cook until the onion begins to soften. Stir in the ground almonds, making sure everything is well coated, then pour on the stock.
3 Simmer for about 10 minutes, then add the cauliflower florets – it might not be entirely covered by the liquid, but as it cooks, stir occasionally and it will all get there. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy – including the stalks.
4 Stir in the milk, then blitz until smooth. Season with pepper and a good whack of salt. Top it off with some crushed whole almonds (or flaked) and serve with a wedge of lemon on the side for a bit of last-minute freshness.
Quick peshwari roti
Warm dough crumbling with fruity, nutty sweetness as you tear it open; these are the perfect accompaniment to any curry.
Made in India, Cooked in Britain, by Meera Sodha (Fig Tree)
Makes 6 rotis
For the dough
300g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp salt
Rapeseed oil
175ml hand-hot water
For the filling
50g unsalted butter
4 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 tbsp raisins
4 tbsp ground almonds
2 tsp sugar
1 Put the flour into a large bowl, add the salt and 2 tbsp oil, then mix with your fingers until the flour resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the middle and add 150ml of the water, then the rest little by little – you may not need it all – kneading until it is soft and springy. Pat the dough with a little oil and put to one side.
2 To make the filling, melt the butter in a small saucepan on a low to medium heat. Add the coconut, raisins, ground almonds and sugar, stir and taste. (You can add other sorts of chopped nuts, other dried fruit or even grated apple, if you like.)
3 To make the rotis, lightly flour a clean surface and put some flour into a small bowl. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll a piece between your palms to form a ball, flatten it and coat it in the flour. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin to the size of a small saucer (around 10cm in diameter). Dip the roti in the flour and continue rolling it out to around 20cm in diameter.
4 Take 1 tbsp of filling and spread it out on one half of the roti. Fold the other half of the roti over the top of the filling so that you end up with a semicircle. Seal it by gently pressing the edges closed, working from one side to the other so as not to trap air into it.
5 Put a frying pan on a medium to high heat, When it’s hot, throw on the first roti and leave for around 30 seconds to a minute, until the edges colour and the side is browning nicely in spots. Turn it over and cook for the same length of time on the other side.
6 Press down on the roti with a chapati press or a spatula on the back of any uncooked bits until cooked through before transferring to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the dough. To keep your roti warm while you cook the rest, make a foil nest for them to sit in.
Mario Batali’s almond and jalapeno relish
It’s the unexpected flavour combination that makes this simple paste so special – the chilli and onion bring out something entirely new in the almond. A savoury sidekick to seafood, but equally at home piled up thick on a slice of toast.
The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson (Quadrille)
Makes about 500ml
50g white almonds
150g green jalapeno chillies
1 small red onion, peeled
75-100ml extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of salt
1 Chop the almonds, chillies and onion, then blitz with the rest of the ingredients. Grind everything together until smooth-ish, but not an absolute puree.
2 This is best eaten fresh, on the day it is made, but can be frozen in small pots.
Plum and almond tart
There’s no better way to mark plum season than by burying them in puff pastry and frangipane. Serve warm.
Recipe by Valérie Berry, valerieberry.com
Serves 6-8
320g ready-rolled puff pastry
50g soft butter
60g caster sugar
2 eggs
50g ground almonds
A drop or two of almond essence
6-8 firm English plums, halved and stoned
1 tbsp caster sugar
Creme fraiche, to serve
1 Roll out the pastry to a 25x20cm rectangle. Cut it in half to create two long strips. Flour one piece and fold it in half down its length. Make a series of even cuts along the folded edge, two-thirds of the way towards the open edge, to create vents when the pastry is opened out again. Do that now. Refrigerate both pieces of pastry for 1 hour. Then preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
2 To make the frangipane, cream the butter and sugar together, beat in 1 egg and stir in the ground almonds and the essence.
3 To assemble, lay the uncut piece of pastry on a moistened baking sheet, spread the frangipane over the pastry to within 25mm of the edge, arrange the plums on top and brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg. Open out the slotted pastry, lay it over the filling and secure the edges. Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg and bake for 45 minutes.
Mini cardamom buns with almond custard
A bite-sized twist on the Scandinavian treat – the usual whipped cream and marzipan combo gives way to luscious almond custard for a soft, mellow mouthful.
Scandilicious Baking by Signe Johansen (Salt Yard)
Makes 24
For the dough
325ml whole milk
50g butter
500g refined spelt (or plain) flour
75 caster sugar
1½ tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp fine sea salt
15g fresh yeast or 7g fast action dried yeast
For the filling
4 medium egg yolks
40g cornflour
500ml whole milk
75g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g almonds, roughly crushed
To finish
1 medium egg, beaten
Icing sugar to dust
1 Scald the milk in a small pan with the butter until it is almost boiling. Let it cool while you assemble the other ingredients. Scalding the milk makes the finished buns softer.
2 Sift the flour, sugar, cardamom and salt together into a large bowl. If using fresh yeast, cream it with 1 tsp sugar in a small bowl and once it is liquid (after about 30 seconds), add it to the dry ingredients.
3 Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the warm scalded milk. Stir until the mixture comes off the sides of the bowl and looks doughy. Place the dough in a lightly oiled plastic bag and leave overnight to cold ferment in the fridge. Be aware that the carbon dioxide gas from the fermentation will expand the bag so make sure you leave plenty of space around the dough.
4 To make the custard, put the egg yolks and cornflour in a bowl and whisk together. In a saucepan, bring the milk and sugar to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Pour a third of the hot, sweetened milk on to the egg yolks and stir through to temper the yolks. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan containing the rest of the sweetened milk, add the salt and bring to a gentle boil while stirring constantly (boiling helps it to thicken but you need to keep stirring to avoid getting lumpy custard). Remove from the heat and sieve if any lumps have appeared, despite your best efforts. Add the vanilla extract and stir through. Then add the almonds and stir through. Pour into a bowl and cover with clingfilm so that it sits directly on the surface of the custard, to stop a skin developing. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate until needed.
5 When you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it come back to room temperature. Lightly oil two baking sheets. Divide the dough in two and keep one half covered with lightly oiled clingfilm while you divide the other half in 12 equal-sized pieces (either by weighing or just judge it by eye). Roll them into little round buns. Repeat with the other half of the dough, cover the buns again and set aside to prove in a warm place for 15-20 minutes until they don’t spring back after being poked lightly with your little finger. Lightly glaze each bun with a little beaten egg.
6 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Splash a little water in the bottom of the oven to create steam to help them rise. Bake on the upper middle shelf for 10-15 minutes, turning the heat down to 120C/250F/gas mark ½ if the buns start to take on too much colour.
7 The cooked buns should look golden brown and sound hollow when you tap them. Allow to cool on a wire rack. When you’re ready to fill the buns, simply cut in half and dollop a spoonful of almond custard on the bottom half, then cover with the top half and dust with icing sugar. Eat with obvious enjoyment, and the great excuse that these don’t keep long …
