Olive-Oil-Fried Almonds
by Maria Helm Sinskey
The almonds and herbs are crisp, salty, and sure to whet your appetite. Canned cocktail nuts don’t hold a candle to these.
Yields 2 cups.
2 cups blanched almonds
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 large fresh sage leaves
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary leaves
1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. sea salt
Set a metal strainer over a large heatproof bowl to quickly drain the almonds at the end of cooking. Put the almonds and olive oil in a 3- or 4-quart saucepan with a lid (the nuts and oil should fill no more than one-third of the pot). Set the pot over medium heat, stirring almost constantly until the almonds are lightly golden, 3 to 10 min., depending on your stove and pot. Toss in the sage, rosemary, and thyme simultaneously and cover the pot immediately with the lid to prevent the oil from spattering. Remove the pot from the heat. The herbs will make a popping sound as they cook.
After the popping dies down, remove the lid and immediately pour the almonds into the strainer. Spread the drained almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the salt. When they’re thoroughly cooled, store them in an airtight plastic container at room temperature.
nutrition information (per serving):
Size
:
based on eight servings;
Calories
(kcal):
243;
Fat
(g):
22;
Fat Calories
(kcal):
197;
Saturated Fat
(g):
2;
Protein
(g):
8;
Monounsaturated Fat
(g):
14;
Carbohydrates
(g):
7;
Polyunsaturated Fat
(g):
5;
Sodium
(mg):
298;
Cholesterol
(mg):
0;
Fiber
(g):
4;
photo: Ben Fink
From Fine Cooking 72
, pp. 40
July 1, 2005
