The Washington times., 1923-11-26
lest WAYS To
PREPARE NUTS
FOR DINNER
Custom of Thus Ending Meal
Dates Back to First
Thanksgiving.


Dates Back to First
Thanksgiving.
The custom Of serving nuts at
the end Of the Thanksgiving dinner
q survival of the early days when
cur forefathers brought forth from
the loft a portion of their carefully
treasured stores OF walnuts, butter
xeuts. and hickory nuts, which they
had SO, painstakingly gathered from
the forest as a special treat for
such occasions writes Ethel Merle
Dickinson for Good Housekeeping.
Then, after tbs plain but boun-
t5ful dinner was over and the table
cleared, the family and friends
eathered before the glowing. open
IRE and chatted while the sons
Of the house cracked the stubborn
nuts as best they could on broad,
flat stone, and the children We'd
With, one another in their endeavor
70 get the precious nut meats OUT
whole.
Many changes have come since
those rigorous days. but we still
for the Thanksgiving dinner. And
tDday, served to us ready cracked
shd sailed or spiced. they con-
Tribute to the congeniality OF the
occasion as in the olden days.
Sailed Nuts Good.
s.Salted nuts, in particular, are
an excellent choice TO serve with
the CONNECTIONS which otherwise
are apt to leave a cloying sweet
ness. Peanuts and almonds are the
nuts most commonly selected for
sailing, although there is no reason
FOR limiting the selection to these
varieties, for almost any kind of
nuts may be used.
Whether you purchase nuts for
sitting, shelled or in the shell, be
sure they are fresh and free from
insects. Pecana are difficult t. re-
move from the shells whole and are
pefhaps best purchased shelled.
peanuts for salting should, of |
course, be purchased raw. The
shelled nuts should next be blanched. |
This is easily accomplished. Place |
the nuts in a pan or bowl. pour |
boiling water over them and al |
low them TO stand two minutes.
Then drain them until they are
G0Ol enough to- handle. The skins
may then be readily slipped of
with the fingers.
ssFiTberts and pistachio nuts may
need TO stand in the boiling water
from three to five minutes in order
% remove the skins easily. After
removing skins, dry. the nuts care
fully with q towel.
Browning Important.
The next step is the one which |
requires the most care in securing |
3. delicately favored result. This is
the browning. It may be done in
any one of three ways-on top of /
the stove, in the oven or-perhaps
the most satisfactory way-in deep
AT.
For the latter method choose
any good vegetable oil or fat, or,
since 70 some there il no substitute,
olive oil. Whichever you choose,
place It In q deep fat kettle and |
heat to 800 degrees F., using a |
cat thermometer to determine the
Make sure that the nuts are free
from all moisture. Then place a /
layer of them in the bottom of a |
trying basket. Immense them in /
the hot fat and fry until a deli
cate brown. This takes about two
minutes. Remove them Immediately i
from the fat and drain thoroughly
On absorbent brown paper or paper
toweling. Then sprinkle them gen.
erously with fine table salt and
spread out to cool and crisp before
serving.
I'm the top-stove browning, for
each cupful of blanched nuts place |
about one tablespoonful of fat or /
ell in q hot frying pan and heat.
Then distribute the nuts in a thin,
even layer over the surface Of the
pan. Fry slowly, stirring often,
until the nuts are an even, delicate |
brown. Remove them from the pan
and drain and salt as above.
Oven Browning Method.
: Oven browning differs very little
from the top-stove method. Use the |
same proportion of nuts and fat. |
Put the nuts in shallow pan con-
tanning the hot tat. place in an |
oven registering $50 degrees F., |
and roast, stirring often, until the |
nuts are delicate brown.
Remove the nuts, drain them care
fully, and salt. Instead Of using |
Tat in this method, 1t is possible |
amply to dip the nuts In the beaten |
white OF an egg, then salt and roast |
IN a $50 degree F.. oven, stirring
often until Drowned.
1t will add a pleasing variety il |
instead Of serving sailed nuts alone, |
you make a few spiced nuts. For |
this, peanuts and almonds mixed |
In equal quantities make a good
choice. Follow the procedure foI |
sailed nuts through the browning
stage, then for each cupful of nuts
mix three-fourths teaspoonful o. |
salt, one-half teaspoonfuI each Of |
cloves and allspice, and |
sprinkle freely over the Drowned |
nuts. Allow to become cool and
crisp before serving"