Thomasina Miers shares her completely irresistible spiced nuts recipe for a delicious and healthy winter snack.
Spiced nuts are the perfect accompaniment to a sloe cocktail or any other drink you like to sip in the run-up to Christmas. Smoky, and lightly spiced with a touch of gentle sweetness, they are completely irresistible, and a much healthier alternative to crisps.
If you’re panicking about entertaining and timings in the kitchen over the holiday season then this is the perfect solution. The recipe is straightforward, using some basic spices you probably already have in your store cupboard. Tossed in spicy, aromatic and salty flavouring these nuts will have lovely whole spices such as cumin and fennel seeds clinging to the surface alongside pimentón or cayenne to provide a sweet, smokey rounded flavour.
Festive spiced nuts
Ingredients:
- 200g blanched almonds
- 200g walnuts
- 100g macadamia nuts
- 200g cashews
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 1⁄2 tbsp pale honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 10. Put the almonds and cashews on one baking tray and the walnuts and macadamia nuts on another and bake for about 7 - 10 minutes, or until the almonds and macadamias have turned a pale golden colour. The almonds might take a little less time than the other nuts.
Turn the oven down to 130. Tip one lot of nuts into the other and line the empty baking tray with foil. Meanwhile, heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and then toast the fennel and cumin seeds for a few minutes to wake up their taste. Empty into a pestle and mortar and roughly grind them, not minding if there are still some whole seeds.
Now put the pan back on the heat, add the pumpkin seeds and toast for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the honey, oil, rosemary, spices and nuts and stir continuously until the nuts are evenly coated with the spices and the honey has started to caramelize. Season with 1-2 teaspoons of salt.
Lay the nuts out on the lined baking tray, put them back into the oven for - minutes to set the nuts. Leave on the tray to cool. They will keep it in an airtight container for a fortnight at least. They are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or anywhere in between.
