Spicy Walnuts

I first had these at a work Christmas get-together that I blogged about in “Impromptu Christmas Work Gathering”. I was very taken with them and asked for the recipe.

My friend (GS) sent me the recipe with “subject: walnuts” and no official title. So since it needed a title of some description, I have made up my own.

And the recipe says….(I’m sorry that is just a teaser). I feel I can’t give the recipe as it is from a friend of a friend and I don’t have permission. I got the impression it might be a closely guarded secret.

I can mention a couple of ingredients without giving the game away. I have previously mentioned tabasco sauce, BUT, Mum and I didn’t use this in the batch we made. We didn’t have any in the cupboard and didn’t want to buy a bottle that would be very rarely used. Since tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers, mixed with vinegar and salt, we just added very finely ground up chilli flakes.

I also previously mentioned that five-spice was another ingredient. I think that the five-spice adds a curry-like flavour, which is what I thought was in them.

These get better day after day and the flavours really come out after about 6-7 days.

Mum and I sat in the sun and had a cracking great time smashing open the hard walnut shells. We then made this batch of ‘Spicy Walnuts’ straight away, with the freshly cracked walnuts. Mum has a large basket full of walnuts. They have all been foraged on our evening walks earlier in the year in about March or April. They come from trees within walking distance of Mum’s so they are eco-friendly, as well as organic.