Savory uses for pecans

[Chris Hennes]

I have a bunch of extra pecans leftover from another project that I need to use up in the next couple weeks. I was thinking of trying to do something savory with them: does anyone have any ideas?

[JAZ]

I've had fish fillets crusted with finely crushed pecans -- I think it's a pretty traditional Cajun preparation, so I imagine you can find recipes online.

[KarenDW]

Chop finely and use as a coating for chicken breasts. Marinate paillards in a mix of orange, marmalade and soy or hoisin... coat, roast in hot oven

Use in a veggie burger with hummus and brown rice.

Add to pesto... with arugula?

[Snadra]

Can't wait to see what people come up with. I've got a big bag of pecans at the moment and I've been thinking about using them (crushed) to coat a chicken breast or pork tenderloin (for some reason that seems very 90s to me, but probably delicious), and I'm sure I've seen them used to crumb fish as well.

I've put these cheese wafers together for parties a couple of times. I find they're better if they are cooled on a paper towel on the rack to absorb excess grease - it gives them a nicer feel in the hand and I think it sharpens their flavour as well. They're pretty popular and go nicely with a drink in your other hand.

And there's also the spiced & slightly sweetened pecans you can make as a salad topper.

And what about as the nut component of an ersatz pesto?

ETA: Whoops! A bit of a cross-post with Karen... great minds, eh?

Edited October 28, 2010 by Snadra (log)

[ChefCrash]

Pecans can easily substitute for walnuts in this recipe for Pickled Eggplants.

[Tom Gengo]

Chris,

If you keep them refrigerated or even more efficient, frozen, they will keep for a long time. I mix them into brown rice cooked w/ dried cranberries and diced Tasso Ham; cooked wheat berries w/ blue cheese crumbles, pecans, chopped parsley and balsmaic vinaigrette & S&P; ditto on the chicken paillards; substitutes easily for walnuts in recipes, but to me has a richer taste than walnuts. Also, whip egg whites to soft peaks, stir in the pecans, shake off excess egg white and dust w/ seasoning of your choice: chili powder; brown sugar & kosher salt, etc.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Tom Gengo (log)

[janeer]

All of the above, plus a savory roasted cocktail snack that is popular here in the South, or for a garnish for salads: melted butter, Worcetershire, Tabasco, salt, a little garlic--strangely addictive. In breads, and with Thanksgiving coming up, dressings to serve with poultry.

[onrushpam]

I live in the heart of pecan land. I buy a big ol' bag of pecan halves at the farmers market and throw it in the freezer (or, if I'm really lucky, my sis brings me a bag from her tree). I grind 'em up to use in breading on fish/chicken. I toast 'em and throw them on salads (one of my Fall favorites is to slice up a pear and brown on a griddle, toss with pecans, thin sliced Vidalia onions and some Parmigiano with a little vinaigrette). Toast and top ice cream (Blue Bell Butter Pecan topped with some freshly toasted pecans is awesome!)

I often just throw some in a little bowl and nuke for a bit to "toast"...

Sauteed green beans with bleu or feta cheese and pecans is the bomb!

Just plain ol' roasted/salted pecans go great with a glass of wine or a beer!

I do love pecans!

[Wholemeal Crank]

I like to saute sweet potato cubes in my wok, toss in some pecans, toast them nicely, finish with some sherry, toss with pasta, and grate some dry jack or parmesan or pecorino over all. Mmmm. Have all the ingredients for that at home right now, as a matter of fact.....and some squid ink pasta, should look brilliant!

[Snadra]

I like to saute sweet potato cubes in my wok, toss in some pecans, toast them nicely, finish with some sherry, toss with pasta, and grate some dry jack or parmesan or pecorino over all. Mmmm. Have all the ingredients for that at home right now, as a matter of fact.....and some squid ink pasta, should look brilliant!

That sounds really good - must try that. I make a pumpkin salad that is cubes of roasted pumpkin, and I toss up torn chunks of italian bread and some pine nuts in for the last 4-5 minutes of cooking time, before tossing with lots of parsley leaves, parmesan and some olive oil and balsamic. Now I'm thinking it would be great with pecans instead of pine nuts, and I might just have to try it with pasta (without croutons), and maybe sherry vinegar instead of balsamic. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Tri2Cook]

A pecan version of a walnut soup... a pecan variation of pasta noci... hmmm, I'll have to think on it a bit. Pecans are almost a form of currency where I live so I don't work with them as often as I'd like.

[patti]

Rice pilaf with toasted pecans, mushrooms, sweet peppers = yum.

[TeakettleSlim]

I firmly believe that everything is better with pecans. The only possible exception I have been able to think of is matzo ball soup.

Pizza purists, avert your eyes: Pecans are surprisingly good as a pizza topping or in a calzone.

Snadra, your pumpkin salad is going to the top of my to-make list.

[andiesenji]

Pecans marry well with many vegetables.

I've combined them with Braised Brussels Sprouts, with carrots, and as noted above, sweet potatoes.

Pecans and parsnips are wonderful together.

I found this recipe for Honey Glazed Parsnips in the BBC Food magazine some time ago and I add half a cup of chopped pecans.

I like greens with pecans and other nuts, but pecans are my favorite, especially with Swiss chard.

A layered casserole with roasted vegetables, pasta and cheese is very nice topped with a crust of pecans, finished in the oven just long enough for the pecans to toast.

I add pecans to dressing for turkey, chicken, duck or meats. I include them in the stuffing for rouladen and I make it with pork as well as beef.

Smothered pork chops with pecans and apples is a favorite recipe in the part of Kentucky where I was raised. (There were more than a hundred pecan trees on my grandfather's farm.)

Edited October 28, 2010 by andiesenji (log)

[Jaymes]

This is one more of many threads that remind me of the "refrigerator with freezer on top or bottom thread," wherein several people said that they don't mind bending over to access the freezer on the bottom because they're not in it very often.

We're in ours all the time. Because we freeze a lot of things. Most definitely nuts. Most definitely pecans. As a southern household, we ALWAYS have pecans in the freezer, ready and waiting for whatever use. In fact, did y'all know that the pecan is the state tree of Texas?

For example, if you like coffee and you like pecans, you probably will like pecan-flavored coffee.

Next time you throw some coffee beans into your coffee grinder, toss in a few shelled pecan halves as well.

_________________

Edited October 28, 2010 by Jaymes (log)

[Eatmywords]

That is a great idea that I should have thought of. This wknds coffee w/contain pecans.

Anyway, this thread must have been speaking to me telepathically last night as I rarely cook with pecans and didn't come across it till today. So laslight, I was rummaging around the fridge and pantry for dinner ideas. (Was about to pull out the delivery menu folder. We didn't have much in way of proteins). I ended up w/a box of pecans, a head of spinach, garlic, onion, chick broth and rigatoni.

I threw the nuts in a mini chop then toasted them in a pan for 5min (about 1/3 cup). Love that smell. Sauteed garlic and olive oil, spinach, broth, butter (s&p, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes), then the nuts and pasta and grated parm-regiano.

The nuttiness really elevates and adds richness to this simple dish. It was really good. I'm going to do a variation with fresh ricotta next time. Pecans rock!