Almonds

[Susan P]

You're very welcome. Just one I happened across on the internet. Can't wait to be in the position to try it myself.

[greatscott]

If I was overrun with almonds, this is what I might do. I would take most of the almonds and toast them in huge batches and let them cool. Then I'd grind them up finely and make almond flour. This holds up well in the freezer, and many recipes call for almond flour. You might give out gifts of almond flour and print out some good recipes to go with it. All you'll need is plasic bags and twisty wires to close up the flour.

Almond flour is simply toasted or blanched almonds that have been very finely chopped in a food processor or blender.

Here's a good recipe to add with the flour:


Almond Shortbread Cookies


1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (30 grams) almond flour (meal)

2 tablespoons (15 grams) rice flour or cornstarch (corn flour)

1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Have ready a 6 inch (15 cm) tart pan with removable bottom.

In the bowl of your electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the flours (all purpose, almond, and rice) and salt. Add this mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Press the shortbread dough evenly into the tart pan. Prick the surface of the shortbread with a fork to prevent the shortbread from puffing up. Using a sharp knife, score (make shallow lines) the top of the shortbread into 8 even pieces. Gently press the flaked almonds in a decorative pattern on the top of the shortbread.

Place in preheated oven and bake until it is nicely browned (biscuit color), about one hour 15 minutes. Transfer shortbread to rack and cool for five minutes before removing from tart pan. Place the shortbread round on a cutting board and cut into 8 wedges (along the lines scored). Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 8 shortbread wedges.

[greatscott]

I found another recipe that would be great to use with the Ground Almonds,
(Almond Flour): This recipe is more traditional as it uses olive oil as instead of butter.

Christmas Sfogliata, or Sfogliata di Natale:

This is a dish from the town of Cerignola that the authors of Altamura Antichi Sapori liked enough to include in their book dedicated to the cooking of Altamura, a town in northwestern Puglia.

INGREDIENTS:

* For the dough:
* 5 cups (500 g) flour)
* 3/8 cup olive oil
* White wine
* For the filling
* 1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) toasted almonds
* 2 cups (500 g) sugar
* 12 ounces (300 g) raisins
* 12 ounces (300 g) grape marmalade
* A handful pine nuts
* A handful diced candied fruit
* 3/8 cup vincotto (cooked down grape must; replace with honey if need be)
* 3/8 cup extravirgin olive oil
* The grated zest of a lemon

PREPARATION:
Toast the almonds and grind them

Put all but a quarter cup of the sugar in a bowl, and add to it the grated lemon zest and the pine nuts. Divide the mixture into six equal parts.

Rinse the raisins and soak them in warm water to rehydrate them.

Combine the flour, olive oil and sufficient white wine to obtain a smooth elastic dough.

Divide it into seven pieces and cover them with a cloth.

Take one of the pieces and roll it out into a very thin sheet. Put it into a greased, floured pan that's of a size such that the sheet extends up past the edges. Spread the sheet with one of the parts of the pine nut mixture, and some of the candied fruit and raisins. Sprinkle with a little oil, and some of the vincotto, then roll out the next sheet, lay it over the stuffing, and repeat the process. Cover everything with the last sheet, crimp the edges of the sheets together, sprinkle the remaining quarter cup of sugar over the sfogliata, and bake it in a preheated 360 F (180 C) oven for 45 minutes.

[alex and lyn]

I still can't find a 'proper ' recipe for traditional sugared almonds , but thinking about it I expect they are quite difficult to make.
Anyway, Ive tried this blanching method and it works a treat...visions of sitting on verandah peeling loads !!!..and have yet to try the 'sugared almonds' greek style...will let you know !

Blanching :

1. Place shelled almonds in a saucepan.
2. Cover with cold water.
3. Turn burner to high.
4. Once water boils, remove from heat.
5. Drain and cover almonds with cold water to cool.
6. Press each almond between thumb and forefinger to slip off skin.
7. Dry almonds on paper towels.

Tips:
1. Be sure not to continuously boil almonds.
2. Almonds are slippery


Sugared Almonds (Amigdalota)


INGREDIENTS
• 1 kg almond kernels
• 1 kg sugar
• 1 coffee cup of rose water
• 1/4 kg of caster sugar


METHOD
Boil the almonds in order to remove their skin easily. Let them dry. Use a mortar or any other instrument to crush them. Put the sugar and 3 glasses of water into a saucepan. Boil the sugar in order to make a syrup. Do not let the syrup become too thick. Add gradually the crushed almond kernels and stir continuously. Before the mixture becomes too thick add the rose water and stir again for a few more minutes. Let the mixture cool and mould it into small shapes of any kind. Coat with caster sugar.

[Sano]

Two more things you can do with almonds (assuming you still have a surplus):

Almond Stuffed Peppers

4 medium red peppers
100g/4 oz. ground almonds
75g/3 oz. grated cheese
50g/2 oz. breadcrumbs
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
100g/4 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped
6 tbsp vegetable stock
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
Cut peppers in half vertically, remove seeds and wash. Place in saucepan with plenty of cold water and bring to boil. Take off heat straight away, drain then place in lightly greased, shallow, oven-proof dish. Mix together nuts, cheese, breadcrumbs, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, stock and salt/pepper to taste. Divide evenly between the pepper halves and bake uncovered for approximately 40 minutes.

Serves 4


Creamy Cauliflower Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3/4 pint vegetable stock
1/2 medium cauliflower
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper
ground almonds
milk

Saute onion and pinch of salt for 10 minutes until soft. Add stock, cauliflower (cut into small florets) and bay leaves. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves, blend, add some ground almonds and milk to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 2-3

Both recipes taken from the Vegetarian Cookbook Vol. 2 published by the Chrysalis Retreat Centre in Co. Wicklow, Ireland.

[greatscott]

Thanks for the new recipes Sano!

I'm interested in finding some Italian soup recipes and the Creamy Cauliflower Soup one sounds yummy. :)

[Sano]

**Bump**

Need to copy these out again. Does anyone have any more recipes to add?

[greatscott]

Maybe this one would be good too Sano.

King's Cake Recipe - Torta del Re Recipe

5 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
10 ounces (2 1/2 cups or 295.73 milliliters) blanched almonds, ground very fine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
Grated rind of one lemon
Sliced, toasted almonds for garnish

Instructions for the King's Cake recipe - Torta del Re recipe:

1. Line bottom of a 10-inch (25.4 centimeter) cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter, or grease a 10-inch (25.4 centimeter) springform pan.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius or Centigrade).
3. Whisk together yolks, sugar, extracts and lemon rind in a large bowl. The mixture is very thick and hard to mix. Whisk until pale.
4. Stir in the ground almonds.
5. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form; either a mixer or a whisk may be used. (Don't make too stiff.)
6. Stir in about one-third of the egg whites to lighten, then fold in the rest of the egg whites.
7. Pour into the pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until firm. The top will be light brown.
8. Let cool completely.
9. Cut around the edges with a sharp knife.
10. Carefully invert and remove the parchment.
11. Reinvert onto a serving plate and sprinkle with toasted almonds. (Almonds were sprinkled on before baking, and this turned out to be fine.)

Serves 12-14.