I knew it was a weird idea, because they would never be crisp. But I had pickled everything else – meats, mushrooms, fish, vegetables. So why not nuts? Plus we eat cooked, non-crisp cashews in all kinds of curries. Plus it’s fun to say the words, as in “those are some homemade pickled nuts.” They sound like substitute curse words from the 1930’s.
I also wanted them to be kind of spicy. Hot honey pickled nuts sounds very Nashville. I immediately thought they would go well with something creamy, like goat cheese. The kind of thing that would prep up your mouth between bites, which is what a pickle should do.
“Weirdly interesting,” my son said, when he first tried them as part of an appetizer layout, with some very healthy crispy kale, the aforementioned cheese, and some lovely sour beer from Hermit Thrush. His girlfriend, new to the ways of our family, nodded in agreement. I kept my mouth shut to see how long it would take the nuts to disappear – not long, and very much in synch with the shrinking of the cheese.
Weird is sometimes as good as it gets.
Recipe: Hot Honey Pickled Cashews
Hot pickled nuts for your snacking spread.
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In a small bowl, toss the cashews with the red pepper flakes. Combine the water, vinegar, honey and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and pour over the cashews. Let cool, then store in fridge. Keeps for a few weeks.
Serve the pickled nuts alone as a snack, or as part of an appetizer spread - especially with a nice, earthy goat cheese.
Note that, as pictured - we tried a mix of raw and roasted cashews, keeping them separated throughout the cooking and storing process. Raw nuts, surprisingly, were the favorites. But feel free, etc. The mixed look does make a nice presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
In a small bowl, toss the cashews with the red pepper flakes. Combine the water, vinegar, honey and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and pour over the cashews. Let cool, then store in fridge. Keeps for a few weeks.
Serve the pickled nuts alone as a snack, or as part of an appetizer spread - especially with a nice, earthy goat cheese.
Note that, as pictured - we tried a mix of raw and roasted cashews, keeping them separated throughout the cooking and storing process. Raw nuts, surprisingly, were the favorites. But feel free, etc. The mixed look does make a nice presentation.