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on soaking nuts

on nut varieties.
where to buy nuts. recommendations.

nut base/foundation recipe

nut butter recipe,
nut butter combinations <3

on portuguese acorns nuts

herbal nuts recipe

almond varities at the market in afghanistan (qambari, murawaji, shakurbai, satarbai varities)
captured by Mahab Azizi

on soaking nuts:

traditionally, grains like beans, raw nuts, seeds were soaked (, fermented or sprouted) to prepare the nutrients to be more easily digested by our gut.

we know nuts provide us with incredible nutrients like natural oils and trace elements (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, copper, zinc, magnesium) vitamin B, carotenoids, palmitolytic acid (antimicrobial).
nuts contain enzymes, but also enzyme inhibitors, which can cause digestive problems as unsoaked grains are too heavy on our gut. thus, we need to consider the importance of their correct preparation and pre-care. in order to switch off these enzyme inhibitors we can simply soak our nuts overnight.

what does soaking do:

germination:

a natural process happening through moisture that leads to increased enzyme activity.
predigestion of nutrients.
it neutralizes phytates and enzyme inhibitors which may otherwise cause digestive irritation.

on nut varieties
&

where to source your nuts from:

not only playing around with different types of nuts but also different varities.

find good quality flavourful almonds from suppliers that buy directly from the source (or as close as possible).

sadly, this is not always easy. especially in denmark. in health food stores you can only find the classical “spanish” or “californian” almonds. again, as with all produce, there are so many interesting almond, nut varities and origins out there. so many distinct flavours, colours and shapes. try finding central asian almonds.

the brand “basis nuts” used to have the most amazing “speciality almonds”, but sadly she had to close her buisiness. she was very passionate about travelling to the very source. seeing farms and nut varity trees grow in places like afghanistan. to experience the unique flavours and tastes herself. satarbai almonds, afghan almonds, taiwanese king kong peanuts, giffoni hazelnuts, pecan nuts from chihuahua.
I used to order a box of nuts, almond butters and peanut butters from “basis nuts” to austria regularly. once they even had pecan nut butter. the almond butter tasted like salty popcorn.

when she closed her business I started marking my own nut butter. trying out different almond types, varities, learning about the importance of soaking. lots of soaking, roasting, grinding, combining.

almond and pecan nut butter from basis nuts

maybe you can find some nut trees in your sourroundings?
nuts still covered in their protective shells. I know cracking nuts can be for hours can be daunting. sit on a wooden round table with your friends, have some wine, talk and crack some nuts <3.

I found these ones at auren´s deli (copenhagen) some time ago from afghanistan (from warfair).

I love looking for new almond varities when travelling and going to markets. always the best finds.

some almonds I tried in fall and really loved were the french ones from køkkenhaven (copenhagen).

further recommendations for ordering almonds in denmark:

warfair.store
nøddebazaren

nut base/foundation recipe* - soaked, roasted, crispy nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts,...):

soak nuts overnight in water (destilled) and sea salt (4 cups of nuts : 1 tablespoon sea salt)
next day (choose a day where you will cozy up in your home): strain, spread on baking paper, add some more sea salt and bake for several hours until crispy. turn the nuts occasionally. store in a glass jar.
make this your routine before eating raw nuts and using them for further recipes. (nothing better than having a comfortable day at home and roasting some nuts. sourrounded by the scent of nuts slowly turning crispy in the oven)

*always (!) carrying some roasted nuts with me in my bag. just in case.*

nut butter recipe:
nut butter combinations <3:

okay so if you know me, you know I have always been obsessed with nuts and nut butter. especially almond butter. and jams from seasonal fruits. and herbs. favourite dessert in the world.

thoughts: avoid buying almond butters. the almonds haven´t been soaked. make your own almond butter.

I call it “jam-nut butter combo´s:
always having a spoonful of almond butter with a spoonful of homemade seasonal herbal honey jam/compote. there is something about this nutty, fruit (especially stone fruits) combination. just try having 1 spoon of each. trust me. or have both on warm sourdough bread (with butter or olive oil). or on spelt-buckwheat crêpes.

raw local honey from portugal + homemade cashew butter + warm sourdough bread (grilled over wood fire!) with oilve oil

homemade almond butter + orange blossom jam on buckwheat spelt wholegrain crêpes

apricot basil honey jam (apricots from a farmer friend´s garden in austria. from last summer) + almond butter + warm sourdough bread with olive oil / raw butter

plum muscovado jam (danish plums. from lille bakery) + almond butter + warm sourdough bread with raw butter

caramelized croatian plums in a sage infusion. with very crunchy almond butter and sage. on buckwheat spelt wholegrain crêpes

pecan nut butter (from basis nuts), almond butter (from basis nuts). caramelized croatian plums from our plum tree. rosemary. wrapped in spelt crêpes.

instructions:

blend the soaked, roasted nuts* with some more salt until you are happy with the consistency. that´´s it.

options:

combine different kinds and varities of nuts.
highly recommend: try making chestnut cream in autumn.

add raw honey to make a sweet almond butter.
( tried this in an organic farmers food store in paris last summer. they had lots of fruit compots and nut butters from the highest quality ingredients).

herbal nuts recipe:

*as always trying to bring some herbs in* variations:
bay leaf pecan nuts
sage pistachios
caraway cashews
rosemary and fig leaf chestnuts
...

ingredients:
2 cups soaked, roasted nuts of your choice
2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of dried herbs of your choice
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly grounded pepper

instructions:

melt butter. mix with other ingredients. roast for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
nut milk. houghts: when you make your own fresh nut milk it will last for about five days. it will be very rich and creamy how long does nut milk from the store last ? long. too long. this suggests that most commercial packaged nut milk contain additives, conservatives and refined sugar. and difference homemade vs bought. that it turns bad after a few days says everything - making your own nut milk is very simple, tastes so fresh, is nutrient denser and is friendly for your gut, as you can insure the nuts have beensoaked beforehand.

nut milk recipe :

although I love fresh (raw) milk from farmers, sometimes I feel like adding nut milk to my hojicha or raw cacoa.

instructions:

blend a cup of soaked, roasted nuts with four cups of water and some sea salt. strain through a cheese / muslin cloth. store in your fridge for up to five days.

options:

try different kinds and varities of nuts. try combining different types of nuts. play around with the flavour and spices. add herbs, raw honey, tonka bean, cinnamon, hojicha powder, to your milk, cardamom,...

note: your homemade nut milk will probably taste different than the usual nut milk you buy in the store. once you get used to it you will love it.

on portuguese acorns “bolota”:

Something new I discovered during my time in portugal: acorns. back in the days they their nutrients were highly valued and used for baking way before wheat flour took over.
while ordering high quality meat and bone broth from “Herdade do Freixo do Meio“ (in the region of Alentejo), I also wanted to try their different homemade acorn products sourced from their forest. their pigs fed from acorns from the oak forest, giving their meat a very special taste and value.
decided to take a back few bags of dried acorns with me. will probably make some acorn nut butter. and a nutty cake.. And a bag of acorn infusion. And some fermented acorns. explaining why my luggage was a few kilos heavier when I returned to copenhagen.

acorn constituents: iron, copper, zinc, manganese, provitamin A, vitamin E, phenolic compounds, antioxidants, fibre, igh protein, tannins, omega 9, monounsaturated fats (similar to olive oil), very low glycemic index, prebiotic, anti-inflammatory.

acorn products of the farm:

traditionally dried dehydrated acorns
fermented acorns
acorn cookies

acorn bread: naturally sweet, spiced. with fennel, eggs, black pord lard, acorn flour, olive oil, cinnamon,... baked in thier wood-fired oven

acorn flour
acorn infusion

acorn products from freixo de meio farm.