Almond, the queen of dried fruit, is a precious food: indeed, a real natural supplement .
In fact , almonds contain vitamins, especially vitamin E; mineral salts, including magnesium, iron and calcium; many fibers and vegetable proteins . Since they do not contain gluten, they can be eaten without problems even by people with celiac disease.
Ideal as a snack, almonds are healthy but also quite caloric, therefore it is recommended to respect the recommended quantities.
In the kitchen you can use them in many recipes : here are three.
Risotto with almonds
Risotto with almonds is a dish that is a bit unusual but very tasty. The ingredients are simple and the taste is assured.
Ingredients for 4 people
> 320 g of rice;
> 80 g of shelled almonds;
> 1 lemon;
> 1 shallot;
> 20 g of butter;
> 10 g of extra virgin olive oil;
> 30 g of dry white wine;
> 1 l of vegetable broth;
> 2 tablespoons of gorgonzola (optional).
Preparation
Prepare the vegetable broth . Finely chop the almonds together with the lemon peel, taking care to keep only the yellow part because the white part is bitter. Set aside some whole or however roughly cut almonds.
Chop the shallot and brown it in butter and extra virgin olive oil. Toast the rice, deglaze with the white wine and cook, adding a ladle of vegetable broth at a time.
Stir in a knob of butter and previously chopped almonds. Instead of butter, you can use two tablespoons of gorgonzola. Finish the dish with some whole or coarsely chopped almonds .
Green beans with almonds and peppers
Green beans with almonds and peppers are a very rich side dish, to be served with a light and simple second course or with rice or other cereals.
Ingredients for 4 people
> 800 g of green beans;
> 1 large pepper;
> 60 g of shelled almonds;
> extra virgin olive oil;
> salt.
Preparation
Clean the beans and boil them in abundant salted water. Wash the pepper and cook it in the oven, whole; let it cool, remove the skin and cut it into strips. Sauté the string beans and the pepper in a little oil, add the almonds and season with salt.
Amaretti biscuits
Macaroons are gluten-free treats that are very tempting, to prepare and keep in the cupboard; they keep well for several days.
Ingredients
> 1 kg of shelled almonds;
> 900 g sugar;
> 2 whole eggs;
> 2 lemons (juice).
> cinnamon.
Preparation
Set aside some sugar (about 100 g) and a handful of almonds, which will be used as decoration.
Finely chop the rest of the almonds. Put them on a pastry board with the sugar and add a sprinkling of cinnamon, according to taste. Make a hole in the center and add the juice of the two lemons and the two whole eggs, always stirring with your hands; you will get a compact dough .
At this point, make many small balls, mash them lightly, put them in the sugar kept aside and place in the middle half almond as decoration.
Bake in a ventilated oven at 180 degrees for 10/12 minutes. In the static oven it takes a few more minutes. Macaroons are ready when they start cracking. Allow to cool well and store in plastic cookie bags.
