I took a trip to my mom’s house around mid-June to collect green walnuts from her backyard tree. I’ve been meaning to do this for a few years, ever since I heard about walnut pickles and nocino. Once I’d picked enough still-soft walnuts to make something I looked at walnut pickle recipes online and realized how sweet they are. I’m trying to move away from eating a lot of sweets, so I searched for savory recipes and one thing that came up fairly often was walnut catsup.

This seems to have been a popular condiment back in the day, along with a variety of other savory condiments made from mushrooms or shellfish (think oyster sauce) or fruits. I took inspiration from several walnut catsup recipes (1, 2, 3) to come up with this one, which is less highly spiced than the originals. I also decided to make a thicker, more relish-like condiment by not straining out the walnuts. The finished product is really too strong to serve alone so I may add more liquid and strain in the traditional style in the future. The flavor is surprisingly similar to Worchestershire sauce, and I’m curious to see what effect leaving it to steep in the fridge for a while will have.

12 green walnuts, soft enough to stick a skewer through

1 cup vinegar (I used cider, but white wine would be nice)

1/2 cup minced red shallots

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/16 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 salted anchovy, rinsed but not soaked

salt

Prick the walnuts all over with a skewer or sharp knife, being careful not to get the juice on anything porous (it stains like crazy). Make a very salty brine in a quart sized jar and submerge the walnuts in it. You’ll need to keep these entirely submerged, the easiest way is to put more brine in a plastic ziplock bag and push it into the top of the jar so that it keeps the walnuts all the way under the brine. shove it in a cabinet or to the back of the counter and forget about for five or six days (I recommend putting a coaster underneath in case the brine leaks out). Drain out the brine in the jar and replace with a fresh batch of brine. Forget about it again for another week. Drain again and spread out to dry a bit for a day or so, until they are dark all over. At this point I stuck the walnuts in a bowl in the fridge for a few days, which you could do if you don’t have time to finish making this right then or just continue on.

Take the now-fermented walnuts and mince them in a food processor or blender so they look like olive spread. Put them in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally until the walnuts start to break down and it looks more paste-like. Try not to be put off by the smell at this point, which is more… pungent than the finished product. Take off the heat and transfer to a pint jar and stick it in the fridge.

Makes a little more than a pint.

My favorite nut-based sauce, I use this as a dip or sauce for nearly anything. It’s rich, nutty, slightly sweet and has a great depth of flavor. The quantities listed below are rough estimates, it takes very well to adaptation. Like any sauce with raw garlic, I like to make it ahead and taste it the second day after the flavors have melded, then adjust the seasonings as necessary.

2 large red bell peppers, roasted & skinned (or one 12 ounce can, drained)
1/2 cup roasted & roughly skinned walnuts
1/4 cup (or more) olive oil
1 tablespoon (or more) pomegranate molasses
2 medium garlic cloves
Juice of one whole Meyer lemon, or half a large lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or a blender and process until pureed and well combined. It will still be slightly textured, which is desirable. Keeps about a week in the fridge.

Romesco is a Catalan sauce traditionally served in the spring with grilled green onions. Since it has no dairy, eggs or broth it’s been served for centuries during Lent, which also means it’s a good recipe to pull out if you need to feed a vegan.

Below is my best estimate of what went into last Friday’s Romesco sauce. If you read recipes for this sauce online the quantities for each ingredient vary widely, which is a sure sign that the recipe can be heavily adapted and still make something delicious. I usually make Muhammara when I’m in the mood for a red pepper and nut sauce, and with the optional add ins this sauce veers in that direction. I’d suggest making the traditional style first and letting it sit in the fridge overnight, then tweaking the seasonings to taste.

2 large red bell peppers, roasted & skinned (or one 12 ounce can, drained)
1/2 cup roasted & roughly skinned almonds, hazelnuts, or a combination
1/4 cup (or more) olive oil
1 tablespoon (or more) smoked paprika
2 teaspoons tomato paste, or two roasted & skinned tomatoes
2 medium garlic cloves
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional (non-traditional):
A pinch of cumin
Half a tablespoon pomegranate molasses
Lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or a blender and process until purred and well combined. It will still be slightly textured, which is desirable. Serve as a sauce poured over vegetables or meat, or as a dip with grilled or fresh vegetables.

Some best raw, others cooked or rolled, but all of the below list will take a filling of some sort.

1. Mushroom caps
2. Tomatoes
3. Cherry tomatoes (with difficulty)
4. Bell peppers
5. Hot peppers
6. Grape leaves
7. Cabbage leaves
8. Zucchini and summer squash
9. Acorn squash
10. Snow or sugar snap pea pods (with difficulty)
11. Potato skins
12. Onions
13. Eggplant
14. Artichokes (hearts and outer leaves)
15. Artichoke leaves (as a spoon)
16. Endive leaves
17. Avocado
18. Beets (with difficulty)
19. Turnips (with difficulty)
20. Cucumbers

I started this blog as a way to store and organize the recipes I find online, and to add my often lengthy alterations. Here goes!