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When I was a teenager (late 1950s), my mother use
to purchase pickled walnuts from the specialty section of the supermarket. She
also had a recipe for pickling them. In both cases they were actually
butternuts. The nuts were quite young and the husk was still on them, about 1¼"
long when pickled. I had eaten them on occasion but would not go out of my way
for them.
Joe,
Mississauga, ON
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2006 1:12
PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Pickled
Walnuts??
>
Has anyone ever heard of pickled Juglans Regia.Aparently they pick
>
them in mid-summer before the shell begins to harden and pickle them.
I'm not familiar with pickled
green walnuts, but I've been reading a bit about the cuisine of Soviet Georgia
as of late and remembered reading that they use a ton of walnuts in their
dishes. I checked one Georgian cookbook in particular and ran across a
dessert recipe for 'Nigozis Muraba,' (Green Walnuts in Syrup) that sounds
really intriguing, albeit horribly time-consuming. I'd love to try it
myself, but wasn't sure where the heck to get green walnuts.
Here's the recipe and the brief history
behind it. I've copied it from a cookbook called 'The Classic Cuisine of
Soviet Georgia: History, Traditions and Recipes,' by Juliannne
Margvelashvili:
* * * * *
Nigozis Muraba (Green Walnuts in
Syrup)
"One of the most interesting of
all Georgian preserves is green walnuts in a thick, vanilla-flavored
syrup. It is perhaps the classic Georgian preserve. One of the
traditional ways to serve Nigozis Muraba is in a dish with a cup of fragrant
black tea from the tea plantations of Western Georgia. The walnuts can
also be served as petit fours, a conversation piece that will delight any
guest. The whole walnut, outer hust and all, is eaten. After the
lengthy processing, the walnut is crisp yet soft enough to eat. I think
that once you have tried this confection, you too will become addicted.
"Nigozis Muraba is time-consuming and
tedious to prepare but so worth it! Green walnuts are not available
commercially, but if you have some friends with a walnut tree, I'm sure
they'll save you all you need in excharge for a jar of preserved nuts.
Ingredients:
50 medium green, unripe walnuts
1/2 pound
slaked lime (calcium hydroxide)
2 pounds sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken
in pieces
5 whole cloves
3 whole cardomom pods
2 teaspoons vanilla
extract
"Peel the course outer husk
from each walnut but do not expose the hell: leave a thin covering of
husk over the shell. Fill a large pot with cold water and let the
walnuts float in the pot for three days. Change the water at least three
times a day. On the fourth day, rinse the walnuts well and pierce
several tiny holes in each with a fork. Place the walnuts back in the
pot, sprinkle with lime, and cover with cold water. Let sit for 3 more
days. On the fourth day, rinse and wash well. Repeat [the three
day soaking process with lime] one more time. On the fourth day,
rinse and cover with boiling water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain.
Put the walnuts back in the pot, sprinkle with lime again, cover with boiling
water, and boil for 15 minutes. Drain. Cover with clean water,
boil for 5 minutes, and drain.
"In
another pot, combine 1 cup of sugar with the walnuts, cover with boiling
water, and boil for 30 minutes.
Drain.
"If you are not already exhausted
by this ordeal, let us continue. Fill the first pot with 8 cups of
water, add the remaining sugar, stirring well to dissolve, and the
walnuts. Tie the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom in a small cheesecloth
bag. Add to the walnuts and sugar water. Bring to a boil, reduce
the heat, and continue to cook until the walnuts turn black. At this
point they are ready. Remove the bag of spices, add the vanilla, and
simmer for 15 minutes more. Let the walnuts rest in the syrup for 24
hours, then bottle in sterile jars.
"Note to the Cook: Calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) can be purchased in
any pharmacy. Since it's being used specifically for food preparation,
pharmacy-quality calcium hydroxide is required."
* * * * *
I'd
like to try making this myself at some point. If you're able to
spare 50 or 60 green walnuts, I'd love to give it a shot. Let me know
if you'd be willing to help. I'll ship you a jar of the preserves in
return. Thanks.
Cheers,
John
* *
* * *
John A Gasbarre
Lamb Abbey Orchards
Union,
Maine 04862
lambabbey@gmail.com
http://tinyurl.com/7htst
44° 15' 47" N
/ 69° 18' 42" W
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