Paula Wolfert

Slow-Roasted Almonds

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Serves

    4 to 8

Appears in

top 1000The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook

The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen

By Paula Wolfert

Published 2003

  • About

Here's a great “single ingredient” recipe of incomparable delight—slow-roasted almonds, which develop a deep rich flavor and also produce a wonderful fragrance. Simply seasoned with salt and served warm with a glass of chilled sherry, these almonds are one of the very best tapas I know.

Professional bakers often roast almonds in their shells for an hour in a slow oven (250°F) to obtain the most intense flavor. I've found this method extremely difficult to duplicate at home, as it's nearly impossible to judge when the nuts are done. My method, browning shelled and peeled almonds, is much simpler and never fails.

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces almonds, shelled but not skinned
  • ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Spanish paprika (pimentón dulce), optional

Method

  1. To peel the almonds, slip them into a pot of water, bring to a boil, drain, rinse under cold water, and, as soon as possible, loosen and slip one by one out of their skins.
  2. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Spread out the almonds in a single layer on an oiled jellyroll pan and set in the oven to bake until golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Midway, shake the almonds and check to avoid overbrowning. Remove from the oven.
  3. Sprinkle sea salt over the toasted almonds, toss, let cool on paper towels, and, if desired, add a dash of Spanish paprika. If not planning to serve them right away, store cold nuts in a jar or tin with a tight-fitting lid. Keep in a cool, dry place for not more than 2 weeks. Toasted almonds turn rancid very quickly.

The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. Copyright © 2003 by Paula Wolfert. Photographs copyright © by Christopher Hirsheimer. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.