My wife Sharon and I recently ate dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, César, in Oakland.

César, which has a second location in Berkeley, is a Mediterranean-style eatery serving a delicious selection of Spanish tapas, or small plates.

Sharon and I split a variety of tapas, including: golden beets with feta, olive oil and toasted garlic; lamb meat balls with garbanzos and spinach; and fried potatoes with herbs and sea salt.

Another dish to die for is the Marcona almonds, which are lightly fried in extra virgin olive oil. I find it difficult to stop popping these fabulous Spanish almonds into my mouth.

Given that it’s almond season in California, we called the restaurant to find out how it prepares this traditional Spanish dish.

César’s chef, Maggie Pond, told us over the phone she has Marcona almonds delivered raw to the restaurant.

“We fry them in California Olive Ranch Arbequina (EVOO) until they’re lightly golden,” Chef Pond explained. “We toss them in kosher salt while they’re still warm.”

She advised taking the almonds from the pan while they’re still “a little bit on the blonde side” because they continue to cook. “As they cool, they crisp up.”

Chef Pond said the almonds store well in an air-tight container.

I’m planning to make a batch at home and do what the Spanish like to do: eat the almonds with thin wedges of Manchego cheese.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

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