Walnuts: Fruits of Fall
Walnuts are said to have originated somewhere to the east -- perhaps China or India, many millions of years ago (fossil forms have been found in Miocene sediments) -- but have long been popular in Europe as well: The Romans greatly enjoyed them, especially at the end of the meal, and they have always played an important role in desserts, either as toppings (chopped or whole) or as principal ingredients. They also occur in savory dishes, though less often, and until the ready availability of olive oil the Piemontese considered walnut oil to be the finest oil for dressing salads.
Purchasing and storage:
- Walnuts grow in many parts of Italy. The best are from Sorrento; they're somewhat darker than the California walnuts one also finds in Italian markets, and have a somewhat sharper, more walnutty flavor.
- Walnuts are sold both shelled and unshelled. Shelled nuts are quite handy if you need the nutmeats for a recipe; should you buy more than you need, store the remainder tightly sealed in the freezer, because the oils in the nutmeats rapidly become rancid when exposed to room-temperature air. Unshelled walnuts will keep longer at room temperature, though they too will deteriorate with time, so you are better off buying smaller amounts as you need them rather than a big bag on sale. Should you buy unshelled nuts for a recipe, figure that a pound of nuts will yield a half-pound of nutmeats.
- Last thing: Walnut meats have a nutty brown skin that is fairly bitter, and you will likely want to remove it before using the nuts in recipes. To do so you will have to blanch the nuts; pour boiling water over the nutmeats with their skins, let the nutmeats soak for a few seconds, and then drain them and rub them with a cloth to remove the skins.
Enough talk! Some Recipes
Garlic Spread: Agliata
A rich
spread made with walnts, garlic and cured lard (don't blanch) that's excellent
on toasted bread.
Difficulty: Easy
Walnut Salad: Insalata alle Noci
A
pair of Ligurian salads, one with greens and celery, the other with pears, and
both with walnuts.
Difficulty: Easy
Gorgonzola Walnut Pie
Rich,
flavorful, and delightfully creamy: Perfect at the end of a meal, with other
cheeses, and nice too as party food.
Difficulty: Easy
Gnocchi with Artichokes and Walnus: Gnocchi con
Carciofi e Noci
Artichokes and walnuts nicely complement each
other in this sauce.
Walnut Lasagna
The concept of
lasagna is extraordinarily variable. Here walnuts play a leading role.
Eggplant Rollups with Walnuts: Involtini di Melanzana
alle Noci
Quick, easy, and perfect as part of a light
luncheon.
Difficulty: Easy
Walnut Sauce: Salsa con le Noci
Walnut sauce is perfect for ravioli and other
vegetable-based stuffed pastas.
Difficulty: Easy
Walnut Croquettes
There's potato too
in these, and they're just the thing to enjoy with a stew or
roast.
Difficulty: Easy
Milanese Chicken Stuffed with Walnuts
A rich, tasty boiled chicken recipe that also yields good broth for soup or
risotto.
Difficulty: Moderate
Zucchini with Walnuts: Zucchine con le
Noci
Walnuts go surprisingly well with all sorts of things.
Difficulty: Easy
Walnut Cake
There are many walnut
cakes out there. This one is extremely rich, and tasty too
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Strucolo dei Capuccini
Strudel
filled with walnuts, and glazed with chocolate. Tasty!
Nocino
Walnut Liqueur, a perfect
remedy for the chill of winter.
Buon
Appetito!
Kyle Phillips
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