| Almonds
for Thickening
Chefs trained in the French tradition
turn to flour and other starches for thickening, but
in many cultures, cooks use ground nuts to thicken
sauces and stews. Mexican mole is a prime example;
these complex chile sauces of Oaxaca and Puebla are
often thickened with toasted ground almonds and sesame
seeds, and toasted bread or tortillas. Smoky Almond
Mole with Roasted Turkey leads you through the process
of frying almonds, toasting spices and roasting tomatoes
and chiles that gives the sauce its depth of flavor.
Indian cooks also depend
on almonds for thickening some of their creamy lamb
stews, such as Rogan Josh, a lamb curry with a spicy
red sauce. The almonds are soaked overnight, then
ground fine and added to the meat's yogurt marinade.
In Spain, ground nuts
thicken the famous Almond Romesco Sauce, a creamy,
red pepper-based Catalan condiment for grilled leeks,
fried squid, grilled octopus and other shellfish.
Writer Colman Andrews notes in his Catalan Cuisine
that the sauce is even used as a dressing for a salad
of escarole, salt cod and tuna. Typically the almonds
are toasted or fried in oil before grinding with the
other ingredients.
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