Walnuts are drupes fantastic, which preserve a tasty and nutritious seed, which can be used for various preparations or eaten as pure dried fruit, accompanied by more or less tasty cheeses, in yogurt or muesli for breakfast.
One of the most particular forms in which walnut is found is flour. There walnut flour, with an intense aroma and typical and fragrant grains, it is used for various preparations, especially desserts, but not only.
Walnut flour is obtained from processing of dried, peeled and cold-pressed seeds, thus processed to extract the oil - a precious, rare and sought-after product -, while the residue is ground to make flour, in fact.
We are also used to chopping walnuts, but in doing so the oily part remains, giving the mixture a different, almost buttery consistency, certainly richer in terms of calories.
Here are some recipes based on real walnut flour: a dessert, homemade pasta and pesto for seasoning.
Recipes based on walnut flour
Given the costs and the intense taste, you can rarely find recipes that only use walnut flour; these see instead combine the walnut flour with the wheat flour, so the former usually does not exceed 10%.
It can also be used for make bread or pasta, in cakes, in leavened products, as in spoon dessert recipes. Being gluten free it is ideal for celiacs.
Base for tart with walnut flour
Ingredients:
> 250 grams of 00 wheat flour,
> 50 grams of walnut flour,
> an egg,
> 80 ml of corn smei oil,
> the tip of a teaspoon of cream of tartar,
> 140 grams of whole cane sugar.
Preparation: mix all the ingredients in a bowl, starting to knead with your fingertips. After a few minutes a ball will form which you will leave to rise in the fridge for at least half an hour before using it for your tart, to be filled as desired. Ideal in this case is fig jam, or fresh figs and chopped walnuts.
Base for pasta with walnut flour
Ingredients for a couple of people:
> 200 grams of durum wheat semolina flour,
> 30 grams of walnut flour,
> a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil,
> cold water as required
Preparation: mix the two flours, add the oil and, gradually, the cold water, mixing with your hands. Form a firm and homogeneous ball, which you will leave to rest for about ten minutes, covered with a damp cloth, before cutting and using for the desired pasta.
It lends itself to both macaroni than for fantastic noodles to be seasoned in a delicate way, perhaps with zucchini and walnut pesto to reinvigorate the taste.
Walnut and courgette flour pesto
Ingredients for a couple of people:
> a couple of light medium-sized courgettes cut into cubes, also with their flower,
> a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese,
> a couple of tablespoons of walnut flour and a few walnuts,
> a clove of garlic,
> a handful of fresh basil leaves,
> a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil,
> salt and pepper as required
Preparation: put all the ingredients indicated in the blender, except the courgette flowers and whole walnuts and cheese. grind everything, obtaining a homogeneous cream to be diluted with a little water if necessary.
Then take a non-stick pan, put a drizzle of oil in it and sear the courgette flowers cut into strips with coarsely broken walnuts.
Add the cream and cook covered for about 4/5 minutes, adding a little more water if necessary and seasoning with salt and pepper. Only when you jump into the pasta, add the spoons of Parmesan cheese, letting it all flavor for a couple of minutes.
Where do you buy walnut flour
Walnut flour is quite easily found on the shelves of large retailers, in sweets department, but if you want to buy a higher quality product, perhaps organic or that uses fruits of plants typical of a certain territory (such as Sorrento or Casentinese walnuts), you can also think of buy it online or in specialized and regional product shops.
750 grams / 1 kilo of walnut flour cost about 7/10 euros.
Dried fruit flour: how it is made and uses
To learn more:
> The calories of walnuts
> All types of flour
