17 June 2017

Spiced pecan nuts for salads or drinks

Sandra quick & easy, side dishes, sides, snacks gluten free, pecans, vegan, vegetarian 2 Comments

I first made these spiced pecan nuts as a crunchy and savoury addition to my rainbow salad. When I tested them on my family, though, and found that they were almost gone by the time the salad got on the table, I realized they’re also perfect on their own, as a snack or as a nibble with drinks.

They’re extremely easy to whip up, not to mention you can have them on the table within ten minutes, yet they’ll wow your guests if you serve them straight from the oven. The basic recipe consists of toasting the nuts in the oven and then tossing them with flavoured oil. Starting there, you can of course vary as much as you like. For example, the ground cumin, which I used to match the flavours in the salad, can be replaced by chopped fresh rosemary, or the paprika by smoked paprika. Alternatively, you can swap the pecans for almonds, hazelnuts or any other type of nut you like.

So get creative and enjoy!

Spiced pecan nuts

Ingredients

• 100 g pecan nuts
• 1 tsp. dark muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp. paprika (or smoked paprika, if you like it extra smokey)
• 1 tsp. course sea salt
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tbsp. rapeseed oil

Preparation

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

Spread the pecans over a lined baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the spices, add the oil and stir the mixture to a paste.

As soon as the toasting time is done, take the nuts out of the oven and, while still hot, toss them with the spiced oil. Serve with drinks, while they’re hot and fragrant, or leave to cool and sprinkle over salads.