Comfort food: In the kitchen with Julia Busuttil Nishimura
FOOD WRITER JULIA BUSUTTIL NISHIMURA CREATES RECIPES FOR ONE OF AUTUMN’S MOST ANTICIPATED HARVESTS.
ONE OF THE PLEASURES of eating fresh nuts is that satisfying ‘crack’ when you break open the shell — especially if the kernel remains intact. But for food writer and cookbook author Julia Busuttil Nishimura, sitting in her kitchen to shell a bowl of freshly harvested nuts also has the ability to transport her back to her childhood in South Australia.
“One of my fondest memories as a child was going to the Willunga Almond Blossom Festival each year,” she says. “Seeing all the blossoms, which would soon carpet the ground, like snow, was pure magic. Later, we would return to the orchards and buy netted bags of whole almonds. I loved their furry exterior when they were fresh and can remember being in awe of what was inside once cracked.”
The Willunga Almond Blossom Festival, now in its 51st year, is held in the last weekend in July to herald the arrival of the delicate flowers that are unperturbed by the fact it’s still winter (nut trees love cold winters and hot summers). But like other nut varieties, it’s not until late February and March that the nuts are ready to be harvested and begin appearing in local farmers’ markets around the country.
Julia says the superior quality of freshly harvested nuts is well worth the effort of tracking them down. “Fresh nuts have unparalleled flavour, they are usually sweeter and have a more pleasant texture. Nuts that have been sitting in packets for several months tend to be stale or taste bitter, which indicates they may be rancid. This is especially true for oily nuts, such as walnuts, pine nuts and pecans.”
However, Julia says the nuts you gather in March can still be good in May if they are stored correctly. “Shelled nuts will last for around three months at room temperature,” she explains. “Keep them dry by storing them in airtight containers and away from strong-smelling foods such as onions and garlic, as nuts can easily absorb odours.”
Drawing on her time spent working as a nanny in Italy in her early 20s, in this issue Julia shares some of her favourite seasonal recipes featuring walnuts, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts and an imposter, the pine nut, which is technically a seed.
For more information about Julia’s latest recipes, visit julia-ostro.com >
“Fresh nuts have unparalleled flavour, they are usually sweeter and have a more pleasant texture.”