Falafel-Seasoned Cashews

Cashews roasted with falafel mix

Let's talk about spiced nuts. Actually, that's not the best term, "spiced", as it implies that the nuts are spicy-hot or enrobed in cinnamon and nutmeg. While that's not a bad thing, "spiced" omits such lovely seasoning ideas such as olive oil and za'taar, falafel mix with a pinch of cayenne and sugar (as in today's recipe), or simply a great curry powder blend. Is "seasoned" a better adjective?  Maybe. Or "savory" even though technically nuts are savory. Spices, spice blends, fresh and dried herbs, and other seasonings add an incredible amount of flavor without adding many, if any, calories. At any rate, nuts roasted with some kind of seasoning are delicious and are a great choice for a snack.

I made these for a baby shower and they may have been more of a hit with myself and the hostess than with anyone else. Luckily, I tripled the batch so there was more than enough for everyone.

Ingredients:

2 c unsalted cashews
2 TBSPS unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c falafel mix
1 TBSP granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
Salt to taste (*see the notes for further discussion)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or foil and lightly grease. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the falafel mix and sugar.

Place nuts in a medium bowl and toss with the melted butter. Add the falafel mix and toss again to coat evenly. At this point, add the cayenne a pinch at a time and taste, taste, taste!

Spread nuts in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9 or 10 minutes, stirring a couple times, until the nuts are golden.

Let cool completely before storing in a covered container at room temperature for up to a week.

Cook's Notes:

1. Let's discuss the seasonings first. I have found that brands of falafel mix vary in spiciness and people's individual tastes vary as well, so the best thing to do is to add the cayenne a pinch at a time to the seasoning blend as I stated in the recipe and taste, taste, taste.
2. The sugar in the recipe helps the falafel mix adhere to the buttered nuts and it adds a great contrast to the cayenne as well, kind of a sweet'n'spicy flavor. Don't omit the sugar.
3. As you can see, the recipe calls for unsalted nuts and butter and has no added salt. Check the falafel mix, it probably has salt in it, so again, taste and adjust the salt to your liking. You can also add salt after the nuts are removed from the oven and are cooling.
4. If you don't care for cashews, you're weird, but I love you anyway. You may choose your favorite variety of nuts; pistachios, almonds, walnuts or pecans would all pair well with this blend.
5. While the recipe specifies butter, feel free to use your preferred type of fat; olive oil and coconut oil are both great choices or you can use a neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed to really let the seasoning shine through.

I'm planning on buying nuts in bulk at WinCo and making up some yummy snacks. If you try this recipe, let me know what you think!

Fresh Merguez Sausage

Ridiculous, I know, but still funny!

Sometimes when I'm looking at recipes, I run across an unfamiliar seasoning. Keep in mind that I am a Caucasian living in a very Caucasian part of the greater Seattle area, so while I'm conversant with specific ingredients, there are many, many more which are truly foreign to me. Merguez sausage was one of them. It sounded intriguing so I followed the link (pun intended). The list of hers and spices which make up this particular recipe are all well known to me and sounded delicious, and are all common enough ingredients found at any grocery store. 

So, what exactly is Merguez? Found mainly in North African cuisine, Merguez is also popular in the Middle East and in parts of Europe, particularly France. Like a lot of foods, it has more than one specific iteration. It's primarily a fresh, spicy and red-hued sausage made from ground lamb. It can also refer to a dried sausage, kind of like andouille or some kinds of chorizo; excellent for slow cooking as it infuses the dish with tons of flavor. Merguez gets its color from a high amount of paprika and its lingering spiciness from cayenne. The thing I like best about Merguez is that you can adjust the seasoning to your specific taste preference. Don't like spicy food? Leave out the cayenne. Prefer a little more sweetness? Use more ground cinnamon. Just make sure you use the same proportions overall.

I like lamb although I don't buy it very often due to its higher price in my part of the world. It runs about $8 per pound but I think it makes a nice change from ground beef. You can certainly use any ground meat you prefer; beef, turkey, chicken, pork, or a combination of any of them. The original recipe used ground lamb and called for making sliders topped with tzatziki sauce on brioche buns. The brioche adds a nice sweet, buttery flavor and the tzatziki sauce balances out the heat with the cooling effect of cucumber and sour cream.

**Yields enough to season one pound of ground meat

Ingredients:

1 TBSP paprika

2 tsps salt

2 tsps ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp whole fennel seeds

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or container and use a fork to whisk together. 

Add the entire amount to a pound of ground meat and use your hands to work the seasoning thoroughly into the meat. The resulting mix should be a uniform reddish color. 

Form into whatever shape you prefer: patties, meatballs, or elongated and slightly flattened meatballs like a kebab. You can bake, grill, or fry the Merguez. Serve with fresh tzatziki sauce, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and flatbread or pita for a delicious meal.

Cook's Notes:

1. The original recipe called for fresh garlic which is all well and good except that I made the seasoning blend up a few days before I was able to actually make and cook the sausages. I simply substituted garlic powder and I think it works even better than fresh garlic because garlic powder blends more easily into the overall flavor. I like garlic, don't get me wrong, but I don't like getting a mouthful in one bite and none in another.
2. The sausages turned out more dense than I expected, which is not a bad thing, but I think next time I'll include a panade. Such a fancy word! Basically, it's soft white bread that been cubed, soaked in a mixture of cream and eggs, and then incorporated with the ground meat. It binds the ingredients without soaking up the fats like plain ol' breadcrumbs do and traps and enhances the flavors of the seasoning. Panades are used in any ground meat dishes, such as meatloaf and meatballs. We can discuss panades further in another post.
3. I've been eating the Merguez in whole wheat tortillas with tzatziki sauce. They're surprisingly filling; I can eat two for a late lunch and just have an apple for dinner.

If you try Merguez this summer at a barbecue, let me know what you think! They would add some great variety to the usual grill offerings in either patties or formed around skewers for a kebab.