It’s the last few weeks for Erdenheim Farm’s micro greens. As the days get longer and sun shines brighter, our greenhouse gets much, much hotter. Because of this, our delicate micro greens and lettuces are only available during the cooler months. Today, we gave our greens a proper send off with some shaved spring vegetables, goat cheese, and crunchy spiced almonds. We had a few ramp leaves left over from our last foraging trip and tossed them in for good measure.
While I don’t normally believe that recipes are the best way to navigate the construction of a salad, I think the almonds at least deserve a little guidance. Everything else is up to you and that’s the beauty of a salad. It’s one of the few dishes where you can eyeball every ingredient, throw caution to the wind and be a little unorthodox. Usually, with the resounding approval of those you are serving. Odds are, if you have ripe, fresh ingredients, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil and acid (vinegar or citrus), you’re going to have success.
Here’s our favorite spiced almond recipe:
1/8 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
8 ounces sliced almonds
½ egg white
Procedure:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F
2) Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl and toss to combine. You want every almond coated evenly.
3) Pour almond mixture onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and spread evenly in one layer.
4) Place tray in preheated oven and set a timer for fifteen minutes.
Every few minutes, stir the almonds on the tray to promote even toasting and browning. If they lay flat on one side during the full 15 minutes, they will burn.
5) Once nuts are evenly browned and toasted, remove the tray from the oven and let cool. They may need an extra five minutes depending on your oven.
NOTE: They are going to feel slightly sticky or damp, this will go away during the cooling process. Once the almonds are cool, they will be crunchy and hard.
Almonds can then be transferred to a sealed container or plastic bag and kept in a cool, dry place. Or you can eat them all right there. We won’t judge you.
We’d love to see what you’re doing with your Erdenheim Farm’s lettuces and microgreens! Take a picture and tag us on twitter @ErdenheimFarm or on Instagram @Erdenheim_Farm.
