Forgotten Foods: Hazelnuts

I’ve been in love with the taste of hazelnut since eating my first Nutella toast when I was a little tot. My siblings and I would smear the delicious, creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread on toast, covering every crumb from crust to crust. I’m sure you’re thinking, “What a nutritious breakfast…” Don’t worry; it was reserved as a special indulgence when we visited Ena and Opa, my maternal grandparents. Mom didn’t start buying it for us until I was in high school. That was a joyous event in our household.

Hazelnuts via Cookstr

This nut lends itself well as a partner for several flavorful perfect-pairings. For instance, hazelnut is one of my all-time favorite coffee flavorings. It’s my go-to flavor for lattes and iced coffee. And the heavenly combination of hazelnut and chocolate becomes a tempting indulgence. This afternoon I've been savoring the hazelnut-crème and hazelnut-almond chocolates from a box of Merci I received for Christmas. I’ll say it again: chocolate paired with hazelnut is heavenly.

Merci via Flickr

During my three-month stay in Ireland last spring, I noticed that many Irish dishes include this rich, sweet nut. Hazelnuts were featured in combinations that most casual American cooks might find unconventional, from meringue to dinner salads. One of my favorite hazelnut dishes can be found in the Avoca Café Cookbook 1, an excellent resource for contemporary dishes from Avoca, a gourmet café and home wares chain (only in Ireland and the UK: let’s start a petition to bring it to the US!). I encourage you to try this recipe out at a potluck or dinner with friends. People will try it just to be polite, but they will probably also discover an affinity for the sorely overlooked taste of hazelnuts!  Here’s the recipe:

*note: you may have to do a little math to convert the measurements. It’ll sharpen your brain!

**also note: the Avoca Café Cookbook 1 includes a recipe for homemade French dressing, which is called for in this recipe. I would highly recommend purchasing a copy; it’s a delightful cookbook!

Broccoli, feta, hazelnut and cherry tomato salad

4 oz hazelnuts
14 oz broccoly florets, bite-sized (I used about 1 3/4 c)
14 oz feta cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved (about 1 c)
7 fl oz French dressing

Toast hazelnutes on baking tray for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees farenheit. Tip them into towels and rub off skins (or use pre-chopped hazelnuts--they're less expensive--and toast them slightly). Allow to cool, then put nuts in bowl with broccoli, cheese and tomatoes. Gently toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Makes about four servings


Enjoy!