NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
January 20, 2000
I'm going to consider it a gift from the dragon, the most mystical of 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. This "gift" is Feb. 29. It was actually Pope Gregory XIII and his Gregorian calendar that are responsible for the year 2000 being a leap year, but I feel more like celebrating the Year of the Dragon than I did Y2K.
So, I'm going to thank the dragon for February's extra day--a day I plan to use for burning off some of the extra calories I will have consumed on Feb. 5, the date on the Chinese astrological calendar that marks the new year, which begins each year on the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice.
I'll let the astrologers determine the official starting date. For my part, I'll figure out what types of Szechwan food I'm going to eat.
Szechwan cuisine is my favorite style of Chinese cooking because of its spiciness. I love how the tartness of hot and sour soup blends with the richness of its broth. I especially love the soup's contrasting textures of bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, mushrooms, and large cubes of extra-firm tofu. I also like the way Szechwan dishes blend fresh garlic and ginger, which combine to produce an aromatic heat reminiscent of horseradish, but with a somewhat floral taste. Of course, any style of cooking that makes frequent use of peanuts and hot chiles will have me as a fan.
And then there's five-spice powder, which can enliven a meat, vegetable or rice stir-fry in ways so complex perhaps only Confucius could explain it well. But five-spice powder is easy to make. Simply mix together equal parts of these ground spices: cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechwan peppercorns.
The recipe that follows features five-spice powder; it originally appeared in the July 1993 issue of Gourmet magazine. Perhaps the editors thought the walnuts would go well with Fourth of July celebrations. I think the nuts would make an excellent party tidbit for celebrating the Chinese New Year. One thing's for sure: these nuts are culinary firecrackers.
Spiced Walnuts
Yield: 32 servings (3 tablespoons each)Ingredients:
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) butter
1½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2¼ teaspoons crumbled dried thyme
6 cups whole walnut halves
salt to tasteProcedure:
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter with the five-spice powder, cayenne and thyme. Stir to mix and add the walnuts. Toss walnuts to coat well, adjust seasoning with salt and toss again. Place the walnuts in a single layer on a baking pan placed in the middle of an oven that's been preheated to 350 F. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow walnuts to cool slightly. Serve warm.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
Walnuts were once considered food of the gods--a delicacy for the ancient peoples of Italy, Spain, India, Greece and China. In Victorian times, walnuts, cheese and wine were the last course in meals among the upper class. Why not celebrate a new millennium and the Chinese New Year with the explosive flavor of Spiced Walnuts?
A serving of Spiced Walnuts contains about 140 calories and 14 grams of fat. Nutritionally, walnuts provide minerals such as copper, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc, along with vitamin B-6. And like all plant-based foods, walnuts are cholesterol free. Walnuts are a concentrated form of energy because of their fat content, but the type of fat in walnuts and other nuts makes them more heart-healthy than saturated fats.
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the 18 men who ate walnuts in place of an equal amount of saturated fat in their diets had a 10-percent reduction in blood cholesterol levels at the end of the study. Researchers pointed to the type of fat in walnuts as the reason for the positive effect: about 70 percent of the fat in walnuts is polyunsaturated--one of the highest levels in nature. In particular, walnuts contain a large amount of linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid similar to that in cold-water fish.
If you received walnuts in the shell for the holidays, they will maintain their quality for about six months in a cool, dry place. Shelling or chopping nuts will reduce shelf life, because oxygen reacts with the fat to promote rancidity and other off-tastes. Shelled or chopped nuts should be kept in airtight containers in the refrigerator to help prevent rancidity. For longer storage, freeze them up to a year in air-tight containers. And if you're buying walnuts by weight, remember that a 1-pound bag yields 4 cups of walnuts and a 4-ounce can yields about a cup.
If you notice a slightly bitter taste in shelled walnuts, you may want to blanch the walnuts in boiling water for a couple minutes, drain and then toast the walnuts in an oven set at 375 F for 10 minutes. This procedure will make the skins easier to remove by rubbing, which will reduce the tannins responsible for the bitterness.
So enjoy these spiced-up nuts, but remember that even healthy foods are best enjoyed in moderation.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
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