Almond, how can you not love it in the kitchen: they are tasty and energetic, versatile, and perfect for making delicious desserts as well as first and main courses. After all, properly salted almonds in a bowl can be the perfect aperitif while you wait. Essential to making countless dishes perfect, choosing them is simply a matter of taste and gastronomic balance. Among our recommended savory recipes, we can’t not start with the classic Sicilian pesto alla trapanese with almonds.
Sicilian pesto alla trapanese with Almonds
Pesto alla trapanese, which has ancient origins, is an adaptation of the most famous Ligurian condiment using products that Sicily offers in abundance, like the tomato and of course the almond. It’s a sauce made with the addition of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, pecorino cheese, basil, and black pepper. Peeled and raw almonds are in the spotlight once they have been finely chopped or crushed in a mortar and pestle then mixed together with the rest of the ingredients which in turn have been ground with a pestle. Everything is mixed together with the tomatoes (without skin and seeds). When choosing the pasta it’s better to stick with tradition, and in Trapani they use busiati (a fresh pasta in the shape of twisted macaroni) or gnoccoli (a fresh long pasta), but many people tend to use the more popular bucatini or linguine. A tasty variant is rocket and almond pesto which provides the basis for perfectly seasoning both pasta and rice, as well as the perfect accompaniment for bruschetta and appetizers.
Almonds with meat; from China to the Middle East
The gastronomic journey of the almond world, although famous and super tasty, doesn’t stop at first courses. Tradition has found a thousand uses for this seed which hasn’t only taken root in Italian cuisine, but others too. One of the most famous Chinese dishes in the world is in fact almond chicken, where meat morsels are cooked with onion and soy sauce then sautéed together with toasted almonds. Not forgetting from the Middle East lamb with plums and almonds with the accompaniment of couscous, another absolutely delicious dish.
Almonds from fish to savory pies
For fish lovers, almonds properly shelled and cut into thin sheets become the fitting cover for salmon fillet, generally baked in a marinade of citrus fruits and ginger but also more simply just with a drizzle of oil. We can’t forget the fantastic contribution of almonds to savory pies either. A typical is savory pie is with almonds, gorgonzola, and vegetables where its entire surface is skillfully covered with this seed accurately cut into thin sheets. Almonds harvested between August and September become the pivotal ingredient for an infinite number of savory dishes where their only limit is the chef's imagination.
