Cashew

The kormas of India, serene, rich, silken, have much in them that works with the sweetness of the parsnip—cream, yogurt, nuts, sweet spices. The Mughal emperors who originally feasted on such mildy spiced and lavishly finished recipes may not have approved of my introduction of common roots but the idea works well enough. Despite instructions the length of a short story, I can have this recipe on the table within an hour. For those who like their Indian food on the temperate side.

If a cauliflower is happiest under a comfort blanket of cream and cheese, we can run with the idea, dropping the cheese and introducing some of the milder, more fragrant spices such as coriander and cardamom into the cream instead. With its toasted cashews and crisp finish of spiced fried onions, this is a mild dish, so I see no reason to soften the blow with steamed rice, preferring instead to eat it with a crunchy salad of Belgian endive and watercress (or some such crisp, hot leaf ), using it to wipe the sauce from my plate.

A paillard is a piece of meat that has been pounded thin and seared. The purée in this recipe is fragrant and colorful, with a powerful tomatoey tang. Leftover purée can be used as a dip for vegetables or tossed with pasta. Do not reuse any purée that came in contact with the raw chicken without first boiling it for one minute. Start this recipe early in the day to allow the tomatoes and nuts enough time to soak.

Bananas are the surprise ingredient in these yummy, coconutty treats. Substitute cashews or pecans for the walnuts for some great flavor variations.

This is my cleaned-up version of those legendary rice crispy squares. The difference is that these are full of whole grain goodness and nutrients from the nuts and fruit. Try these out on your kids for a guaranteed hit. You can find nut butter at any health food store.

You know that old Sesame Street song that goes, “One of these things is not like the others …”? Put a cashew next to butter and margarine, and you’ll probably think, “Hey, I know which one of these doesn’t belong.” Think again. I’ve pleased many a client who swears by butter but wants to go dairy free by substituting nut creams, in this case pulverized cashews. Not only is the taste fulfilling and delightful, nuts are far better for you than any store-bought buttery spread made from corn oil.

Cashew butter makes an offbeat, rich-tasting soup base. This luscious soup is good hot or at room temperature.

Make this soup a few hours ahead of time, if you can. The unusual combination of flavors benefits from having time to blend. You can use butternut squash instead of pumpkin, if you prefer.

We’ve had some incredible West Indian food on some of the cruises we’ve taken, and this is our nod to those island flavors. Adventurous kids will like this slightly sweet, creamy, nutty rice. You should also try it with Broiled Tuna with Pineapple-Chipotle Salsa (page 57) and Spicy Honey Chicken Salad over Spinach (page 150).

These glossy, burnished, not-too-sweet and not-too-spicy nuts are irresistible. With fresh or dried fruit, they make an elegant dessert. Or add to one of our Fruit & Cheese Plates. A great little something to snack on, too—we like to keep them around to nibble on when supper is a little late. They keep for up to a month.

These easy, no-bake candies are good for you if you eat only two or three, which is dangerously difficult to do. You’ll find a balance between the natural sweetness of dates and honey and the bitterness of rich cocoa.

Gina: Girl, my favorite nut is the pecan! It is the all-American nut, and once you mix in cashews, you’ve got somethin’ rocking. I serve this dangerously addictive appetizer at my “Girl Power” get-togethers because it’s great with drinks (and because we ladies deserve a special treat). The combination of dark rum and soy sauce gives these nuts their exotic flavor. For a true island feel, and a little kick, use a hot sauce made from Scotch bonnet peppers.

I was in an Albertson’s grocery store in Park City, Utah, and picked up a sack of chipotle-coated raw cashews and started eating them while I was still shopping. WOW—were they ever good! I read the ingredients for the coating and used it to make a Western-style chicken and vegetable stir-fry.

When I was growing up in Delhi, my mother regularly deep-fried cashews for us in a karhai (wok). She would scoop the nuts up from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and leave them to drain on a crisp sheet of brown paper—the same kind she used to cover our schoolbooks. My father ate them with his evening whisky-and-soda and the rest of us nibbled on them with our soft drinks. I have now taken to roasting the cashews instead. Nothing could be easier.