The Pulp of an Almond

So, you’ve made and enjoyed your Almond Milk (see my February 27 post). But now you’ve got a cup full of Almond Pulp/Paste left over. What are going to do with that? Throw it away? Seems like a shameful waste.

And indeed, although the pulp doesn’t have much taste to offer, there is a lot of nutritional value there; carbs, dietary fibre and fat. As with the milk itself… finding a consensus on just how much of each turns up some wildly varying opinions and numbers.

The pulp will work in many recipes that call for ground almonds, although be aware that it won’t impart that distinctive almond tang to your creation.

So….. type ‘Almond Pulp Recipes’ into Google and you’ll find quite a variety of ideas on how to use this up. Most of them I’ve found tend to be for sweet dishes…. Ice creams, cakes and so on. It works very well in place of the Carrots or Apple in any such cake.

But you can also use this pulp up in all sorts of other more savoury ways. I often stir a spoonful into a soup or use it to bulk out a pancake batter and sometimes a whole cupful might go to add texture to a curry.

My favourite is the ‘Hummus’ recipe below. And if you can’t find a use for the pulp on the day you make it…. Well, it freezes well for future use.

Almond Hummus

Fresh strained Almond Pulp.  This is fine used moist, no need to dry it out in the oven or anything!

Tahini

Oil (Olive or Sesame)

Ground Coriander

1 or 2 Cloves of Garlic

Salt (optional to taste)

Method. Is oh, so simple. Put everything in a bowl and mix!

Seriously, add enough Tahini to make a stiff paste with the Almond pulp.

Crush and add the garlic plus teaspoon or so of Coriander and stir together. You may wish to add salt to taste… personally I don’t.

Then slowly add oil (Sesame or Virgin Olive Oil) as you stir until get to the texture you want. There are no rules on this. I like Hummus that will spread easily with a knife, others like it drier or more liquid…. Your call.

Tip. Make this at least a day before you want to use it. This gives the flavours a chance to really blend together.

Put in sealable container and it will keep in the fridge for ages. But be warned, if you use a plastic container you may never be able to use it for anything without garlic in it ever again!