Pecan Recipes | May, 2005

Pesto Green Beans and Tomatoes

1½ pounds fresh green beans
1 pint small tomatoes, such as red grape halved
¼ cup Pesto Vinaigrette
Salt and pepper

1. Cook green beans, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cool water. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a large bowl, toss green beans and tomatoes with pesto vinaigrette. Add additional pesto vinaigrette, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator up to 8 hours.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Pesto Vinaigrette
½ cup Texas Basil Pesto
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and ground white pepper

1. In a bowl combine pesto, vinegar and lemon juice.
2. Slowly add olive oil in a thin stream, whisking until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Makes about ¾ cups

Texas Basil Pesto
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups fresh baby spinach; stems removed
¾ cups fresh basil leaves
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
6 ounces Asiago cheese, grated
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

To Prepare In a Food Processor

1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the oil, the spinach, basil, pecans, cheese and garlic. Cover and process until nearly smooth, stopping processor and scrapping sides as necessary.
2. Drizzle in remaining olive oil until mixture is smooth.

To Prepare In a Blender

1. Coarsely chop spinach, basil, pecans and garlic on a cutting board, in a blender combine all ingredients.
2. Cover and blend until mixture is smooth.

To Store

1. Place pesto in an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate for 1 or 2 days of freeze up to 1 month

Makes about 1¾ cups

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Pound Cake with Pecans

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine
3 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
2. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and mix well. Sift flour, salt and baking soda together and add. Add sour cream, vanilla and 1 cup of pecans; blend well with mixer.
3. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Top with remaining ½ cup of pecans.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for two hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Pumpkin Pecan Pie Bars

½ cup unsalted butter or margarine; softened
1 cup brown sugar; firmly packed
1½ cups flour; unsifted
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
16 ounces pumpkin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs; beaten
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In large mixer bowl, beat margarine and brown sugar until fluffy; add flour, oats, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix until crumbly. Reserving ½ cup flour mixture, press remainder on bottom of 15-inch-by-10-inch jellyroll pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile in medium bowl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Spread over baked crust.
5. In small bowl, combine reserved ½ cup flour mixture with pecans; sprinkle over pumpkin mixture.
6. Continue baking for 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Cool. Cut into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Red Beans with Pecans and Saffron over Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

1 small can red beans or pinto beans
Pecan Valley Pecan Halves
Dry red wine
Saffron
Oregano
Thyme
Freshly ground pepper
Olive oil
Garlic

1. Drain a small can of red beans. Save the juice in a small bowl and add a small amount of crumbled saffron to it so it marinates. Not too much, you want the taste to be subtle, not dominant.
2. Sauté garlic in olive oil for a little bit, along with pecan halves and some crushed red chilies. Add the drained beans and cook so the flavors mingle. Add quite a bit of oregano, less thyme, and a pinch of black pepper. Add some dry red wine, don’t be too shy. Add in the saffron-flavored bean liquid and cook a few more minutes. The consistency should be thin but not like soup.
3. Serve over whole wheat spaghetti.

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Rice, Orange and Pecan Salad

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup orange juice
1 cup orange sections or canned mandarin orange sections
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon Pecan Valley Pecan Halves; toasted
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large mixing bowl toss rice, orange juice, orange sections, raisins, vinegar, olive oil, pecans.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Roasted Pecan Chicken

¾ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
2 ounce creamy goat cheese
1 small clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
Pepper
3½ pounds whole broiler/fryer chicken
1 medium onion, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
⅔ cup dry white wine
⅔ cups chicken broth
⅔ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

1. In a food processor combine pecans, goat cheese, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and pepper to taste. Process until mixture forms a paste.
2. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
3. Carefully loosen skin on chicken breast by gently working fingers under the skin starting from both the neck and body cavity ends. Be careful not to pierce or tear the skin.
4. Spread cheese mixture in an even layer in chicken breast underneath the skin. Pull skin back over cheese layer and secure with wooden picks. Tie chicken legs together. Arrange chicken in a 13-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch baking pan on a bed of onion and lemon slices. Add wine and ⅔ cup broth.
5. Roast, uncovered in a preheated oven for 1¼ to 1½ hours until thermometer inserted between leg and thigh registers 180ºF. Baste occasionally with pan juices during baking. If necessary, tent with foil toward end of cooking to prevent over browning. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
6. Strain pan juices, discarding lemon and onion slices. Skim fat from pan juices. Add chicken broth.
7. In a small mixing bowl mix cornstarch and water until blended. Add to chicken broth; cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil and gravy thickens.

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Robb’s Caramel Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
⅔ cups dark or light corn syrup
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
½ cup heavy cream
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
8 egg yolks, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In 2-quart saucepan over medium high heat, bring corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, cream, and salt to boil, stirring constantly; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until sugar has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.
3. Pour in egg yolks, beating constantly until blended and smooth; beat in vanilla. Arrange pecans over bottom of pie-crust; pour filling over. Pecans will float to top.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes until crust is golden and knife inserted near center of filling comes out clean. Cool complete on wire rack before serving.

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Sour Cream Pecan Pound Cake

6 large eggs; separated
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter; at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat whites till stiff and set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, cut butter into sugar. Add egg yolks and beat a little.
4. Measure flour; use a small amount to mix with nuts until they are well-floured. Mix soda into flour. Stir flour into butter/sugar/egg mixture. Add sour cream and vanilla. Fold in nuts. Pour batter into greased tube pan.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 90 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Spinach Pecan Pesto

1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
8 ounce spinach, washed and drained
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white Miso (available in the Oriental section of the grocery store)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 pinch nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Place pecans on a cookie sheet and roast until lightly browned and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
3. Place half of the spinach in a food processor with olive oil, Miso, garlic, sea salt, pepper and nutmeg; process until smooth.
4. Add remaining spinach a little at a time until all has been incorporated. Serve over hot, fresh pasta.

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →

Spinach Pecan Quiche

1 9-inch pie shell; unbaked
½ pounds spinach
1 tablespoon unsalted butter; melted
8 slices bacon; cooked and crumbled
4 eggs; beaten
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 dash nutmeg
1 onion; chopped
¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 cup cheddar or Swiss cheese; shredded
2 cups half-and-half
1 dash pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF.
2. Prepare quiche shell; bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF.
4. Combine spinach, melted butter, bacon, beaten eggs, sea salt, nutmeg, chopped onion, pecans, shredded cheese, half-and-half and pepper. Pour into baked quiche shell.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Bake until knife inserted off center comes out clean, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Leave a comment • Continue Reading →