Spiced Garam Masala and Rosemary Roasted Nuts: An Ottolenghi-Inspired Snack Treat

The theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week is Nuts and Seeds. There are plenty of Yotam Ottolenghi recipes that feature these ingredients but I was craving some snackable roasted nuts.

Perusing online, I found a couple of Ottolenghi spiced roasted nuts; this one for Spiced Cashews and this one for Spicy Nuts.  Both sounded good, however it was these Rosemary Spiced Nuts for sale at the Ottolenghi online store that caught my eye. Described as "This is a new take on our much-loved recipe. A sweet and salty blend with the heat of cayenne pepper and the aromatics of garam masala and rosemary. The perfect snack for any occasion: cocktail parties, pre-dinner or as a gift." Garam masala (the one I have includes coriander, black pepper, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon), keeps popping up lately on garbanzo beans, veggies and other dishes in my house and it sounded perfect for a bowlful of warm, toasty mixed nuts.

I took the product ingredient list and guessed at added my own measurements and proportions for the spice blend based on the order of ingredients, and gathered up a nut selection from what was readily available in my freezer. The result are these wonderful  Ottolenghi-online store inspired savory nuts--without the shipping cost and the wait-time to order them from the U.K. ;-)

Spiced Garam Masala and Rosemary Nuts
Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi
(Makes 4 Cups)

4 cups mixed unroasted nuts (I used cashews, pecans, almonds, Spanish peanuts, pine nuts & pumpkin seeds--heavy on the cashews)
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
2 tsp garam masala
1 heaping tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
scant 1/2 tsp cayenne 
1 heaping Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. 

Place nuts in a large mixing bowl and add sunflower oil, mixing to coat evenly. Thoroughly mix garam masala, garlic salt, celery salt and cayenne together in a small bowl. Stir spice mixture into nuts until evenly coated.  Place nuts in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake about 30 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes, until dry and lightly browned.Remove pan from oven and sprinkle fresh rosemary evenly over.  Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Once cooled, store in an airtight container.

Notes/Results: Garam marsala + nuts + rosemary = pretty wonderful! These roasted nuts are deliciously salty, garlicky and savory with a good little kick of heat at the end from the cayenne. Ottolenghi's for-purchase version used peanuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, and pumpkin seeds. I used whatever was on my freezer "nut shelf" without having to dig too deep. Particular favorites for me were the Spanish peanuts, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds--they gave texture and size variation to the standard cashew, almond and pecan assortment. Which, (besides the joy of munching them warm) is the big reason to make your own nut assortments in the first place--you get to control the kind of nuts and the amounts that go into your mix. No avoiding a bowl full of almonds and Brazil nuts because all of the few "favorite" nuts that were in there have been picked out.  Note: This mix was also great when I mixed part of it with some vegan mini dark chocolate chips for that salty/sweet trail mix fix. I will make these again--maybe to give out for the holidays. 

You can check out the nut and seed-inspired recipes everyone made by following the links at this week's post at IHCC.

Happy Aloha Friday!