Meatless Monday: Rosemary Spiced Nuts

Were you hoping for tonight’s Meatless Monday dinner recipe?  I hope you’re not disappointed. You won’t be if you actually make these nuts.  And I hope you will.  They kick off dinner with a woodsy pop of rosemary brown sugar.  And they have real heat.   They buddy equally well with cocktails or wine.  I can eat them all day straight from the bowl.

Sounds like the thing for your Thanksgiving cocktail hour, eh?

Plus, I roasted them for Lydia’s exquisite wedding this past Saturday and sharing the recipe lets me share two photos from her special day.

Adorable, right?  Lydia made the cute labels and I bagged the nuts in wax paper bags.  She stationed them next to iced tubs filled with individual bottles of sparkling lemonade—yellow and pink—French coke (made with real sugar instead of syrup) and those darling hot pink cans of Sofia Blanc des Blancs sparkling wine so guests had drinks and munchies to enjoy before the ceremony began.

Our girl just thinks of everything.

You’ll have to wait until she’s back to hear and see more.  I can’t wait.

In the meantime, make these nuts.  They’re an amped up version of Ina’s and they never fail to win raves.

xoxosl

Rosemary Spiced Nuts

yield: 2 pounds

Ingredients

2 pounds raw mixed nuts of your choice. I recommend including cashews and pecans in te mix because the former is fantastic with the rosemary and the latter catches all the spicy brown sugar goodness in its crevices.

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon cayenne

5 teaspoons dark brown sugar

4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 °.

Place the nuts in one layer on an ungreased baking sheet and roast in the oven until fragrant and lightly golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

While the nuts roast, whisk the remaining ingredients into a brown sugar paste.

Remove the hot nuts from the oven and carefully scoop them into a large mixing bowl.  Pour the spice mix over the warm nuts, stirring gently to spice the nuts evenly.  Enjoy immediately or let cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 4 days.