These tangy nuts are a great nibble with a glass of wine or to snack on during the day. Wrap attractively for great little happy gifts. Look for whole raw cashews in the bulk section of whole food stores or upscale markets. Already roasted nuts won’t soak up the lemon juice.
Lemon Garlic Cashews
Zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of one large lemon (about 3 Tablespoons)
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups whole raw cashews (unsalted and unroasted)
2 Tablespoons kosher salt (or more to taste)
In a medium bowl, zest the lemon and squeeze in the juice, making sure there are no seeds from the lemons in the bowl. Finely chop the garlic and stir into the juice and zest. Drop in the cashews and toss to fully coat, making sure the zest and garlic are distributed, as they have a tendency to stick to the sides of the bowl. Leave to soak for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (preferably nonstick) or parchment paper.
Toss the salt into the nuts and stir well. (You can taste a nut at this point to test for saltiness and add more if you like). Spread the nuts on the prepared baking sheet in one layer. Bake on the oven for 15 minutes, checking and stirring every five minutes, until toasted and golden. Watch the last few minutes carefully as these can go from toasty to burned quickly. The nuts will be quite dark brown. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes on the pan, then remove to a plate to finish cooling off the heat of the pan. The cashews will crisp up as they cool.
Makes 2 cups
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