walnuts + leopard print

and what they have in common

I was toasting walnuts in a cast iron pan today when I stopped to take a better look. It’s dangerous to do this, nuts burn so quickly. But I was wearing leopard print denim and had to appreciate how both my clothes and my food told an inverted brown, cream, black and tan story in varied shapes and textures. I took in the moment to take it in, pulled myself together and took the pan off the heat.

I bought the jeans just before the holidays, around the same time I bought the massive bag of walnuts that I’ve been trying to work through (I succumbed at Costco). While in the clothing store I pulled back the pink velvet curtain, stepped out of the changing room and stood in front of the shop mirror. “What do you wear with leopard jeans?” I wondered aloud. The woman at the cash, perched on a stool in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and worn Levis, looked up. “You wear them with everything,” she said with a shrug. “Leopard is a neutral.”

This was a revelation for a matchy person like myself. My matchiness started early. I remember bouncing on a trampoline during my pre-school years, looking down and seeing a satisfying blur of browns. There’s a photo of me at our cottage, age seven, wearing a white high-riser on my head, white socks pulled to my knees, a plum bathing suit and a matching plum Sassoon sweatshirt. Then later, in high school, there was the aubergine hair scrunchie with the aubergine flannel jumpsuit. They weren’t always great fashion choices, but I always matched.

Thank you, lady at the store, for the permission to break free from convention. I’ve been wearing the leopard jeans with bright blue. Green. A patchwork shearling jacket. The browns, creams, blacks and tans in various shapes and textures are my blank canvas. Then I add whatever I feel like.

It’s just like walnuts, they’re a neutral¹ too - a blank canvas, ready to go in any direction. This is good news, because I have more walnuts than I know what to do with. I stuffed what I could into a freezer bag and have challenged myself to get creative with the rest. Walnuts are a great source of protein, and as we’ve established, they’re versatile. I’m thinking about Samin Nosrat’s Persian chicken with pomegranate and walnuts. Skye Gyngell’s walnut and honey tart. A handful of walnuts on my morning yogurt along with berries from the freezer, warmed on the stove with a little maple syrup. Or walnuts toasted and tossed through a farro salad, like the one in this story from my archives.

Today I’m leaning into my pre-school self with tones of browns, beiges and a touch of green. I’m making a walnut sauce, a pesto of sorts, with the walnuts cooling in the pan. I used to make this sauce when I was a student studying in France, where walnuts were plentiful and pasta was cheap. The sauce could also be spooned into soup or tossed with greens. A flavourful blank canvas.

I wasn’t wearing leopard then. These things take time.

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Walnut Sauce

Toast 100g / 1 cup of walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat and stir occasionally. Keep your eye on them - don’t leave the room, answer the door, or spend too much time analyzing the tones and beauty. They will burn. They’re ready when they’re warm and toasty, about 3-5 minutes. Leave to cool.

Place the cooled, toasted walnuts in a food processor along with 20g (1 generous cup) chopped parsley, and 2 heaping tbsps chopped fresh sage (sage is optional, it’s what I had - basil would be a nice substitution) 2 cloves of garlic and a big pinch of sea salt. Pulse a few times to get things going, then, with the motor running, add olive oil, about 80ml (1/3 cup) or enough to form a smooth paste. Scrape sauce into a bowl and top with a good grating of parmesan cheese. When ready to serve, add 100ml of cream (ricotta works here too) to the sauce, stirring well, then toss through about 400g freshly boiled pasta, roughly 75-100g per person. Top with more parmesan, sea salt and black pepper, as desired.

1. For another newsletter- the idea behind food neutrality, a conversation happening in food education around food not holding moral value, as in not labeling foods as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but instead understanding that all foods serve a purpose, as providing nutrients or creating memories.

Also for another newsletter - food neutrality, ie. foods that have neither an acidic or alkaline effect on the body. Some examples include unsalted butter, fresh raw cream, carrots, corn, rice, cauliflower, onions, green beans, grapes, sweet potatoes… but not walnuts. They’re acidic!

All for another time.

PS: