Food you'll go nuts for

EAT IN:Tasty, interesting dishes, both featuring nutritious nuts, will wait patiently until you're ready to eat them and are perfect for a big gathering

WHY IS IT that walnuts become so rancid tasting in comparison to other nuts? The answer lies in the fact that they contain so much omega 3 linolenic acid – the good kind of essential fatty acid. But in comparison to other nuts, it is less stable in walnuts and therefore susceptible to becoming rancid quite quickly, in comparison to almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts, for example.

Health experts advise that you should use shelled walnuts that can then be stored in the freezer. I prefer to keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.

This Circassian chicken recipe is a traditional Turkish dish, but one I was vaguely reluctant to try as I thought it was going to be complete and utter nut overkill, combined with smoked sweet paprika, which just sounded wrong.

The initial recipe was all a bit long-winded and convoluted. I knew we wanted to end up with moist chicken that was going to be shredded and doused with walnut sauce. I imagined eating it at room temperature with some sort of Middle Eastern bread, sitting on cushions with twinkling lights nearby and a selection of other dips and goodies to dunk into. Perhaps some belly dancers would appear.

The reality was somewhat different – layers of anoraks and blankets, freezing ourselves trying to enjoy a last al fresco supper, all twinkling lights being extinguished by the drizzling rain. Anyway, the chicken got the thumbs up and we all agreed that this is a great party dish, as part of a larger affair, as it tastes great at room temperature and will go with plenty of vegetables or salads and nice bread. Spuds or rice really aren’t necessary.

The other dish is a slightly fancier version of what I force my family to eat once a week. Usually I just roast the cauliflower florets in a hot oven with lots of olive oil, salt, pepper, some turmeric and mild curry powder at about 200 degrees/gas 6, until it starts to burn. Then I shake it about, sometimes put more oil on it and turn the heat up or down depending on how quickly it’s cooking. It is completely and utterly addictive, once you master the art between burnt and too steamy.

In this recipe, I’ve bulked it out by adding baby potatoes and blue cheese, plus some raisins for added sweetness. Feel free to leave it out and maybe consider adding some goat’s cheese, or no cheese at all, in which case you may want to use fewer raisins as you won’t need to combating the strong, salty cheese.

Chicken with walnut sauce

Serves 4-6

200g walnuts

1 onion, peeled and diced

Olive oil

4 tsp smoked sweet paprika

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

½ tsp cayenne pepper

100g breadcrumbs

Big bunch parsley

Juice of 4 lemons

3 tbsp plain or Greek yoghurt

6 chicken breasts, skinless, chopped into chunks

Salt and pepper

750ml chicken stock

Toast the walnuts on a baking tray for about 10 minutes at 160 degrees/gas 3, until they are lightly toasted. Sweat the onion in plenty of olive oil until soft and then add the paprika, garlic and cayenne pepper. Season well. Add the breadcrumbs and a bit more olive oil. Take the pan off the heat and allow it to cool slightly while you transfer the walnuts to a food processor. Add the onion and breadcrumb mixture and some lemon juice and parsley and a bit of yoghurt. Process, adding the rest of the lemon juice and yoghurt to taste. Adjust the seasoning and set aside.

Heat up more olive oil (I did this in the same pan I cooked the onion in) and fry the chicken over a high heat to get some colour on it. Season well and turn the chunks over. When you have good colour, gradually add the stock so that you are deglazing and also poaching the chicken. Cook gently until most of the stock has evaporated and the chicken is fully cooked. Allow to cool and then when it is just warm, add the chicken to the walnut sauce. Mix well. The walnut sauce should be thick enough to coat the chicken, but not so thick that you feel like you are eating poached chicken smothered in peanut butter, or rather walnut butter. It should be loose enough to be pleasant in the mouth. It then becomes unbelievably moreish.

Roast cauliflower and blue cheese salad

Serves 4 as side salad

500g baby potatoes

1-2 heads cauliflower

1-2 tbsp curry powder

1-2 tbsp turmeric

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

120-160g blue cheese

Handful sliced almonds

Handful golden sultanas

Big bunch flat leaf parsley or coriander

Preheat the oven to 190-200 degrees/gas 6. Slice the potatoes in half or thirds. Break the cauliflower into florets. Put them into roasting trays. Bear in mind they need a lot of room, so best to use two trays. Sprinkle the curry powder and turmeric on top and season well. Drizzle a good bit of olive oil over the veg and toss around. It should be reasonably well coated. Roast for about 20-30 minutes. Toss regularly and adjust the oven temperature if necessary, and add more oil if you need to.

A few minutes before they are finished cooking, add the almonds so that they toast briefly. Remove the trays from the oven and allow the veg cool down a good bit before putting it in a large bowl and adding chunks of blue cheese, the raisins and a big bunch of chopped herbs. Toss well. Serve warm rather than hot.

Domini recommends:Eleanor Swan handcrafted porcelain nightlights, which you put over a tea light to create a gorgeous warm, ambient light. Would make a really lovely present. They're €15 if you buy from her studio in Blessington or slightly dearer online at eleanorswan.com