Almond Milk

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YOU NEED

½ cup of raw almonds

water for soaking

1 cup of water

2 medjool dates

 

YOU DO

Put the almonds in a bowl and enough water to cover them. Pop in the fridge and leave them to soak overnight.

Discard the soaking water and rinse the almonds. Place the nuts, the 1 cup of water and the 2 medjool dates in a blender and blend well for a few minutes.

Pour the milk into a nut bag a strain out all the milk. Put the almond roughage aside. #See notes.

Chill the milk and serve over cereal, make a smoothie, flavour it with cacao or use however you would like.

EASY, raw, beautiful.

 

Yeilds: Just over a cup

Time: Less than 10 minutes, after soaking

Notes: Use more water if you wish, I started off with 1 part almonds to 3 parts water, but much prefer the creamier result I achieve from doing 1 part almonds to 2 parts water

If you don’t have a nut bag, you can use a chux or cheesecloth.

Don’t discard the almond roughage. You can make simple and delicious raw almond chocolates with it. I must post that recipe one day!

If you are not using it straight away, use it within a few days. Remember to also give it a stir before using, because it will separate.

Marinated Olives

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YOU NEED

1 x 900 gram bottle of Spanish Queen Olives, not pitted (picked these up from Aldi on special today)

1kg of Kalamata olives, not pitted

1 full bulb of garlic, peeled and sliced

10 tablespoons of fennel seeds

17 star anise

the rind of 3 large oranges. Make sure you remove all of the pith (the pith is the white part as it will impart bitterness)

1/2 cup of fresh rosemary leaves

5 small red chillies, sliced

4 bay leaves

1. 5 litres of olive oil

 

YOU DO

Place all the dry ingredients into a large pot over a medium heat and stir for a few minutes.

Add a few tablespoons of oil, the orange rind, chillies and garlic and sauté for another minute or so. You are not trying to colour the garlic. You just want to apply enough heat and a minute to help the oils release.

Add the olives and the olive oil and bring the oil almost to boil. Turn off the heat, let your olives cool then put them and the marinade into sterilised jars.

Give as gifts and/or serve at BBQ’s and partys.

 

Makes: Makes about 2kgs of marinated olives.

Time: Haven’t timed this one.  

Freezing: Not suitable.

Almond & Pistachio Dukkah

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Dukkah is an Egyptian dry dip made from aromatic, herbs, seeds and nuts. It is incredibly easy to make and will fill your home with its fragrant aroma.

YOU NEED

50 grams of sesame seeds

2 tablespoons of coriander seeds

2 tablespoons of cumin seeds

50 grams (in total) of almonds & pistachio nuts

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns

 

YOU DO

Place all the ingredients into a pan on a medium heat and dry roast them for a few minutes. Stir the mixture while they roast. Be careful not to burn anything. Place aside and let cool.

Place in food processor and roughly grind. (I don’t have a food processor so just used my mortar and pestle)

Serve with sourdough and a *good quality cold pressed olive oil*. I promise you it DOES make a difference.

Dip chunks of bread into the oil and then the Dukkah. Heaven on a plate.

 

Servings: Makes about a cup of dukkah

Time: 10 minutes

Freezing: Not suitable for freezing