Monday, June 4, 2012

Oven Roasted Almonds with Fresh Herbs

The almonds in the cupboard were expired. But being me, I didn't want to throw them out. They were only slightly expired and were still in the original packaging so I decided to roast them and bring some new life to them.

I remembered reading a roasted almond recipe in Alice Waters' cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. Turns out everything in that cookbook is amazing. So of course this was no exception. The herb-infused salt on these almonds is really outstanding.

And so I share these addictive little nibbles that I can only imagine would be great with a glass of wine, an appetizer plate or as a little snack any time of day or night!

Oven Roasted Almonds with Fresh Herbs
Easy
This is only slightly amended from the original recipe. Alice calls for thyme and savory but I used thyme and parsley instead because that was what was in the garden. Try it with what you have in your herb garden, but be sure to mince the herbs.

1 1/2 tsp hot water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups raw almonds
3 thyme sprigs, leaves only
1 tsp minced flat-leaf parsley
optional: 2 tsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Stir together hot water and salt in a small bowl until dissolved. Toss with almonds and herbs.
3. Place in cast iron skillet or baking dish and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. They taste great now! If you want to kick it up, move on to step #4.
4. Optional: Toss with up to 2 teaspoons olive oil. (This is what Alice calls for, although you can get away with a lot less if you want just a touch of flavour).