Almond season has arrived here in California. I devour a ton of almonds. I like them plain. And I enjoy eating them lightly fried in extra virgin olive oil, a traditional Spanish dish.
Our friends at the Almond Board of California gave us a recipe for almonds sautéed in extra virgin olive oil. They’re tossed with crushed coriander seeds and dried red chili peppers. You finish the dish with a couple of generous pinches of sea salt.
Almonds have an interesting history here in California. Franciscan padres from Spain brought almond trees in the 1700s to what is now California. Today, California’s almond growers provide more than 80 percent of the world’s almond supply, according to the Almond Board.
Like olives, almonds have been with us for a long time. Food expert Alan Davidson notes in his book, The Penguin Companion to Food (Penguin, 2002), that the first mention of almond cultivation is in the Bible.
Besides tasting good, almonds are high in “good” unsaturated fat. That means they can help lower cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Speaking of lowering your blood pressure, the pan-roasted almonds featured here would go well with a glass of fairly dry white wine on a warm summer day.
For another dish that would be great to have with your aperitif, check out our chef blog. You can read about the delicious olive oil-fried almonds served at a favorite restaurant of mine, César.
Bon appétit,
Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch
