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dining

Piva nuts don't have to be bland

article and photo with electronic modifications by Eric Jackson

Piva, piba, pixbae, peach-palm, whatever you wanna call it. We're talking about those orange-fleshed starchy palm nuts of the species Bactris gasipaes --- one of the staples people here were eating when first they discovered Spanish adventurers wandering on their beaches. These things are sold on the street and eaten as is or with a little salt and they are good enough that way, but a lot of people who have only tried them in that format think them too bland.

They need not be. There are lots of things you can do with piva nuts. For one example, extract the seeds, dispense with the peels, dice them and mash them and boil them down in sufficient water with an onion and a smoked ham hock or smoked turkey leg and it makes a great thick soup.

Or to eat your steamed piva nuts with a bit more flavor, dip them in garlic butter or mayonnaise.

But when this reporter is in a heart attack special mood but also living on skimpy rations he will sometimes make a little hollandaise sauce for his piva nut dip.

To make Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter 

• 2 egg yolks 

• 1 tablespoon lime juice 

• ¼ teaspoon salt 

• pepper to taste

• 1/3 cup boiling water 

Directions

• Put butter in a bowl, cover with cold water

• Divide butter in three portions

• Put one piece of butter in a the top part of a double boiler  with egg yolks and lime juice

• (if you don't have a double boiler you can use a small sauce pan inside a larger pan with boiling water)

• Beat with a wire whisk until butter is melted

• Add second piece of butter, continue whisking until it thickens

• Add the rest of the butter, whisking until it's melted

• Add water, cook one minute, whisking

• Season with salt and pepper