Almonds, how not to love them in the kitchen: they are tasty and energetic, they are versatile and perfect in making desserts but also in first and second courses. After all, properly salted, almonds in a bowl can be the perfect aperitif to deceive the wait. Fundamental in making innumerable dishes perfect, choosing some is just a matter of taste and gastronomic balance. We, among the savory recipes, we cannot but start from the pesto alla Trapani.

Almonds and pesto alla Trapani

The pesto sauce in the Trapani's style, which has ancient origins, is a reworking of the most famous Ligurian seasoning with the products that Sicily provides in abundance as the tomato and, precisely, the almonds. This is a sauce made with the addition of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, pecorino cheese, basil and black pepper. Peeled and raw almonds are the masters once they have been finely chopped or pounded in a mortar and then mixed together with the rest of the ingredients which in turn have been crushed with the pestle. Everything is mixed together with tomatoes (without peel and seeds). For the choice of pasta it is better to rely on tradition: in Trapani i busiati (a twisted macaroni-shaped fresh pasta) or i gnoccoli (a long fresh pasta), but many reach for the most famous bucatini or linguine.
A tasty variant is represented by rocket and almond pesto which provides the basis for perfect dressing of both pasta and rice, but also the right accompaniment to bruschetta and appetizers.

Almonds in meat from China to the Middle East

The gastronomic journey into the world of almonds does not stop with a first, though very famous and tasty. Because tradition has found a thousand uses for this seed that is rooted not only in Italian cuisine. One of the most famous dishes from China in the world is in fact the almond chicken where the morsels of meat cooked together with the onion and soy sauce are sautéed together with the toasted almonds. Without forgetting that it comes from the Middle East lamb with prunes and almonds, another absolutely delicious dish accompanied by couscous.

Almonds from fish to savory pies

For fish lovers, almonds adequately shelled and cut into thin strips become adequate coverage for salmon fillet generally cooked in the oven in a marinade of citrus fruits and ginger but also more simply just with a little oil. One cannot forget the fantastic contribution of almonds to savory pies. Typical is the almond cake, gorgonzola and vegetables where all its surface precisely covered wisely with this seed properly cut into strips. In short, the almonds that are harvested between August and September then become the pivot for an infinite quantity of savory dishes, and their only limit is the imagination of the cook.