Fall has officially arrived and summer seems like a very long time ago already. It’s getting too cold to stay outdoors in the evening so instead we’re cuddling up inside, in front of a nice fire or – if that’s more your thing – a Netflix series. Yet even though temperatures have dropped, that doesn’t mean we can’t go outside anymore. On the contrary, fall might well be one of the most beautiful times of year when it comes to nature (if it isn’t raining too much of course). One look at your local park or a forest nearby is enough to be overwhelmed with autumnal colors which make you want to take a thousand pictures to remember all of it.
And if you’ve stepped outside these days, just like us, you’ve probably noticed the abundance of walnuts out there. Speckled all over the ground, they’re just waiting for someone to pick them up and use them to cook some kind of delicacy. Yet what can you actually make with them? How do you make sure they don’t go to waste at the back of your kitchen cabinet? We searched and found three easy recipes for you to try out, all in keeping with this season’s harvest.
1. Walnut butter
Chocolate spread is tasty and all, but it isn’t exactly good for you. Want to try something similar yet completely healthy? Walnut butter is the way to go.
Ingredients
- Walnuts (as many as you want)
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Peel your walnuts.
- Put the walnuts in a big bowl of water and let soak overnight. Dry with a towel.
- Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and let them bake in the oven for about 20 minutes on 200°C. This will dry them out a bit after all the soaking, yet it will also give them a nice toasty taste.
- Put the nuts and the pinch of salt in your food processor and continue to mix until they’ve turned into a homogeneous paste. If you don’t have a high-end food processor, you’ll have to be patient and pause every now and then to make sure not to overheat the machine.
- Put in a nice and clean jar, keep in the fridge and enjoy!
2. Walnut crumble
Looking for a nice, warm, seasonal dessert to serve your guests for dinner? A walnut and apple crumble is the perfect choice this time of year.
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram of apples
- Juice of 1 lemon
- A splash of maple syrup
- 150 grams of walnuts
- 220 grams of flour
- 80 grams of sugar
- 80 grams of butter
Instructions
- Cut the apples in small cubes and put them into a large bowl.
- Mix in the lemon juice and maple syrup (according to taste) and pour into an oven tray.
- In another bowl, mix the walnuts, flour, sugar and butter together. Spread out over the apples.
- Bake for about 20 minutes in an oven on 180°C.
- Serve with some whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!
3. Walnut pasta sauce
You might generally use them in a sweet way, yet walnuts can be used in savory recipes as well. Proof? This traditional Ligurian recipe!
Ingredients
- 200 grams of walnuts
- 200 milliliters of milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 slices of bread
- 70 grams of Parmesan cheese
- 20 grams of pine nuts
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Put the walnuts in a pan with water, bring to the boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain and take off the skins.
- Put the bread in the milk and let sit until it has become quite soggy. Squeeze out the milk (don’t throw it away though).
- Put the walnuts, bread and garlic and blend until you’ve got pretty small pieces. Now add the Parmesan, a pinch of salt and the pine nuts and blend again.
- Add about 5 tablespoons of olive oil and some pepper, blend and mix in the milk little by little until you’re left with a creamy sauce.
- Mix in a little of the boiling water from the pasta before serving so you’re left with a sauce that’s a bit thinner and easier to mix into the pasta.
