Aw Nuts

Ever since Christmas (and all the wonderful rich food!) I've had a thing for salads. One of my favorite gifts was a bottle of very fresh California olive oil, along with some pomegranate vinegar and spiced walnuts. The oil and vinegar (along with a few other little things) worked together to make a gorgeous dressing -- the walnuts were the perfect topper for salad made of baby lettuces and fresh sliced pears.

Alas for the nuts.
I ate them all up.
:-(

SO...my mission is to find a way to make my own. I started with this recipe, adapted from several similar recipes that I found. The nuts turned out crunchy and yummy and as addictive as promised, but NOT what I was looking for to use on salad. (I want a more "cooked on" coating that won't dilute into the dressing.) And while I will keep on trying, this recipe absolutely goes into my notebook for snacking.

You will need:

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of pecans (or walnuts, mixed nuts, whatever kind you like)
• 1 Tablespoon oil (olive oil or canola would be fine)plus a little to grease the pan
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

This moves rather quickly, so it is best to prep your ingredients before you begin.

In one small bowl combine your sugar and salt. In another small bowl combine your cumin and cayenne. Very lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet.

Warm the Tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is warm, pour in the cumin and cayenne pepper and stir around for 20 to 30 seconds until the oil is very fragrant. Pull the saucepan off the heat and stir in the nuts, tossing them around to coat completely with the oil. Spread the nuts out onto the baking sheet, immediately sprinkle with the sugar and salt mix, and stir like crazy to get all the surfaces of the nuts thoroughly coated.

Pop the pan into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure you don't overcook. Pull out and serve warm or store in an airtight container -- you can store for 2 to 4 weeks, and if you want to serve them warm, just place them into a heated oven for a few minutes.

Super easy and really good -- these would make a great little gift for the person who prefers savories to sweets.



Still...I'm looking for that perfect recipe for spiced nuts to go on salads! Anybody?