Many traditional gardens boast a magnificent walnut tree, and most were planted there by our forebears and early settlers, both as a food source and a reminder of home.
Walnuts are almost taken for granted these days, and are often admired more for their foliage than their larder filling capabilities.
In the front of our garden we have a huge tree that gives welcome shade in the summer and holds many happy memories. My wife would sit under its massive branches with our newborn son and open the first of the season's nuts as the last warm days of March slid by.
Now the tree is a perfect climbing frame for the children, and continues to provide an abundance of nuts in the autumn, much to the delight of our greedy dogs, who love to join the kids in a quick impromptu snack.
My mum, who hates to waste anything that nature provides, this year collected at least four huge sacks of nuts from the tree. Shelling them becomes a satisfying (not to mention tasty) chore for those long, slow nights in front of the television.
When harvesting walnuts, be sure to dry them out as quickly as possible, as dampness will encourage mould. We spread them out in shallow cardboard boxes and stack them up in the attic under the iron roofing, where they dry well.
Small numbers can be left beside the log burner and cracked and eaten at your leisure.
Buying ready-shelled walnuts is certainly convenient, but you can't beat the taste of a nut freshly removed from its shell.
The shell naturally protects the nut from going bad, but because walnuts contain a large amount of monosaturated fats - the good ones - they can quickly go rancid once exposed to air.
If possible, buy walnuts in small quantities and store them in the refrigerator once the packet is opened.
If buying from bulk stores, use retailers that have a fast turnover of product, to ensure maximum freshness.
Walnuts are enjoyed fresh, and are frequently used in baking and cooking.
In England they are traditionally pickled when still green.
In Italy they are used to flavour the liqueur Nocello, and crushed to make a regional specialty, salsa di noce (walnut paste), which is often served with pasta or fish dishes.
In India, walnuts are used as offerings to the mother goddess, Vaishnav Devi; and are an important food in festivals.
While walnuts are known to be very high in omega 3, and helpful in reducing cholesterol, the shells and husks are also used in cosmetic exfoliates, industrial cleaners, paint thickeners and fabric dyes.
Walnut wood is prized for furniture-making, and is the most traditional wood used to make gun stocks, particularly for shotguns.
Autumn and nuts have such an affinity.
It's hard to go past something as tempting and lush as a rich date and walnut frangipane.
It's perfect, because it stores well and gets better after a couple of days. Served with marscapone, it's magic!
For something healthy and delicious, try penne pasta with walnut sauce.
And despite the fact that I love terrines all year round, this simple version of chicken terrine with pear and walnut chutney really captures the flavours of the season.
Walnuts and autumn will never seem the same again!
- Bevan and Monique Smith own the award-winning Riverstone Kitchen cafe just south of the Waitaki Bridge on State Highway 1.
Date and walnut frangipane with marscapone
Serves 10 -
250g walnut pieces
250g caster sugar
250g butter
60g plain flour
4 free range eggs
2 cups dates, pitted
Marscapone to serve
Sweet pastry:
350g unsalted butter, room temperature
150g icing sugar
4 egg yolks
500g plain flour
2 tablespoon cold water
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add yolks, one at a time, mixing well. Mix in flour and just enough water to bring the pastry together. Knead lightly, roll into ball, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
Unwrap and roll pastry out between two sheets of plastic wrap until about 3mm thick and about 30-35cm in diameter. Peel away one side of the plastic wrap and line a 28cm fluted tart mould, with a removable base, with the remaining sheet of plastic facing upwards.
Cover with another sheet of plastic, fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15-20 minutes in a 180degC oven until golden brown. (Placing a second sheet of plastic down before filling with beans will prevent the plastic from melting.) Allow to cool before removing beans.
To make frangipane filling: Place walnuts, sugar, butter and plain flour in a food processor and blend until well-mixed. Continue to blend, adding the eggs, one at a time. Finally, add the dates and pulse briefly so the dates are still a little chunky.
Spoon the filling into the cooked tart base and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake in a preheated 170degC oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool, and serve with a spoonful of marscapone.
Chicken terrine with pear and walnut chutney
1 size 18-20 free-range chicken
Zest of 1 lemon
2 heads garlic, roasted or confit
1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 x 300g jar pear and walnut chutney
Half cup cornichons
100g baby salad leaves
Half loaf ciabatta, sliced and toasted
Carefully remove the skin from the chicken, in one piece if possible, and reserve. Bone and cut the chicken meat from the carcass and dice into 1-2cm pieces. Place the diced meat into a bowl then add the garlic, lemon zest and chopped thyme.
Weigh the mixture and add 10g sea salt per 1kg of terrine mix and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
Roll out a 40 x 40cm piece of aluminium foil. Place two 40 x 40cm squares of plastic wrap on top of the foil. Lay the chicken skin out in the centre of the plastic wrap in a rough rectangle.
Place the terrine mix in the centre of the chicken skin and roll the skin firmly around the meat to form a sausage. Roll the chicken sausage up in the two layers of plastic wrap to form a cylinder shape.
Finally roll up in the tinfoil and twist its ends to firm up the cylinder and form the chicken terrine's final shape. Place on a cake rack in an ovenproof dish.
Add one cup of boiling water to the dish and cover the entire dish with aluminum foil. Cook in a 180degC degree oven for 35-40 minutes.
Use a temperature probe to check the internal temperature and remove the terrine from the oven when itis 65-70degC degrees. (If the terrine is removed before reaching this temperature it will not be properly cooked, and if it exceeds this temperature it will be dry, so be vigilant.)
When cooked, remove from the oven, take out of the oven tray and cool in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to serve, remove the layers of foil and plastic wrap and slice into rounds. Serve with toasted ciabatta, salad greens, cornichons and pear and walnut chutney.
Note: The chicken terrine has a very simple ingredient list, so the quality of the chicken is paramount. Using free-range, organic chicken will make a huge difference to the flavour and setting quality. This dish needs to be made a day in advance, to allow the natural gelatin to set the terrine. The terrine, if carefully wrapped, will last for up to seven days.
Penne pasta with walnut paste and parmesan
Serves 6 -
400g penne pasta
4 tablespoons walnut paste
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons parmesan, ground
5 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 small sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Walnut paste:
1kg walnuts, in the shell
2 cloves garlic
2/3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Shell walnuts and roast them in a 180degC oven for three or four minutes. Grind the walnuts, garlic and olive oil together in a mortar and pestle or small food processor until smooth. If not using immediately, store in a sterilised jar and cover with 1cm of extra virgin olive oil. The paste will keep for up to four weeks in the refrigerator.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water until it is al dente. Meanwhile, gently heat the walnut paste in a large frying pan with three tablespoons of olive oil. (The paste should melt rather than fry.) If the mixture starts to split, add a little water to adjust the sauce.
When the pasta is cooked, add it to the walnut sauce, along with chopped herbs and parmesan, and combine all lightly so that the pasta is coated in the paste.
Adjust the sauce consistency with a little extra water if necessary, and serve immediately, with a little extra parmesan on top.
Pear and walnut chutney
Makes 6 x 300g jars -
1.2kg firm pears
225g Granny Smith apples
225g onions
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup sultanas
Zest and juice of 1 orange
400g sugar
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Peel and core fruit, then cut into chunks. Peel and chop the onions to the same size and place the fruit and the onions into a large pot with the vinegar.
Slowly bring to the boil, and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit and onions are tender.
Meanwhile put the sultanas, zest and juice into a bowl to soak. Add the sultanas and the sugar to the pot and simmer for a further 40 minutes, or until the chutney is thick and no excess liquid remains.
You will need to stir the chutney frequently near the end of its cooking time to prevent it from sticking and burning on the bottom of the pot.
Gently toast the walnuts, and stir into the chutney along with the cinnamon. Spoon into warm sterilised jars, and seal. Age the chutney for one month before using.
