Europe changes you. No one can deny that. You may go the first time with a young, cynical it-can’t-be-that-big-of-a-deal complex. They have churches. So what. You’ve seen churches. Stuff is really old, you get that, but what does Europe have that we don’t in the U.S.? And then it sinks in. Maybe while drinking your first liter of true German beer, or walking down a street that existed before people knew the Earth was round, you begin to understand your place in the world. Paintings, books, and, yes, churches glow with enhanced meaning and substance. Upon your return to the New World, in order to enlighten the poor bastards who stayed behind, you stop by the local market and buy a treat for your friends, a piece of this singularly amazing and eye-opening event. You buy them Nutella.
Chocolate for breakfast? Give me a break and keep your Cocoa Krispies. Once again, the Euros have bested us. Try a warm, crusty slice of bread slathered with silky, melty Nutella first thing in the morning and tell me your day doesn’t go better. But it’s not about the cocoa—this is no gooey Hershey’s syrup kind of moment–it’s about the hazelnuts. As the “original hazelnut spread,” Nutella has served as a daily fix for generations of Europeans who have long known what Americans are just discovering. Complex and distinctive, the hazelnut that deserves a higher spot on the flavor chain.
There’s no doubt that Europeans have a more intense love affair with the hazelnut because it’s been growing in their neighborhood for thousands of years. The moist air of the Mediterranean region is perfect for the cultivation of the hazel. And the nut’s flavor and beautiful aroma, which was first unlocked by the roast-happy Romans, gave it a cultish status. Soon the wood from the hazelnut bush was being used for witching rods to find valuable minerals and rich soils. Supposedly possessing mystic powers, the nuts were burned to enhance clairvoyance and used in marriage ceremonies as a charm for fertility.
There’s another mystery to the nut, which is how it became known as a filbert. Its Latin name, Corylus, comes from the Greek korys (helmet), which led to the enduring “hazel” from the Anglo haesil (headdress), all of which allude to the husk that shelters the nuts, between one and four of them, as they grow. Some think “filbert” comes from the German word vollbart (full beard). More popular is the theory that the nut is named in honor of St. Philibert, a canonized King of Normandy, whose feast day is August 22, just the time the nuts ripen for harvest. Believe what you will. Perhaps the bigger question is how anyone can believe that the filbert is an acceptable garnish to a vodka gimlet.
Turkey produces most of the world’s crop, followed by Italy…and then our own Oregon! (Wild hazelnuts used to be common in many parts of the U.S., until a blight wiped out most of the strains.) Hazels, which grow within their husks on a shrubbish sort of tree, thrive in these areas because of to the moist air and temperate climates. Each region produces its own variation of the original species, with different flavor profiles. Turkish nuts tend to be smaller and more intense, while Oregon crops are bigger, meatier, and have a milder flavor.
The folks at Badgersett Farm, a private research farm in southern Minnesota, believe that hazelnuts are our salvation. Because standard agriculture involves tillage and harms the best soil, they believe that woody agriculture,” which causes less erosion, is superior. Supported by the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, the farm has successfully planted European and wild American hybrid hazelnut bushes; while their methods aren’t totally organic, they encourage birds, insects, and frogs to help the plants survive without the use of herbicides and pesticides. If you’d like to get your hands on some, check the farm’s website, www.badgersett.com, for updates about availability.
Call it a filbert or a hazelnut–just don’t define it by the cloyingly sweet stuff shot into your latte. Versatile and spunky, the nut can be used in all areas of cooking. Toasting is the best way to heighten its essential oils, bringing out its distinctive flavor and aroma. All you need is a 350-degree oven and about five minutes. Post-toasting, remove the papery skins by slipping the nuts into a dish towel, letting them cool for a minute, and rolling them around in the towel. Then toss the toasted treasures into a butternut squash soup with a hint of cinnamon. Or use them instead of croutons in a hearty salad featuring winter greens and a hazelnut oil vinaigrette. Crushed with dried ginger, they make a delicious coating for a roasted pork loin. Pulverize with a little oil, some garlic, and fresh parsley, and you’ve got a rich pesto for pasta with dried cranberries.
If you’re sticking to your new Euro-trash image, you’ll take your hazelnuts with an edge of sweetness. That means dipping biscotti into a latte spiked with a hazelnut liqueur, like Frangelico (not Torani syrup). Toasted hazels can be paired with raspberries, chocolate, dried fruits, chocolate, Turkish delight, and chocolate. Let’s face it, Nutella isn’t just for breakfast anymore.
Hazelnut Spread
(A Nutella Upgrade)
3 oz. chopped dark chocolate
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. hazelnuts, toasted and ground
1 T. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven for up to six minutes, till nicely browned. Remove from the oven, wrap them in a dish towel, allow to cool for a few minutes, then roll them on a countertop inside the towel. Place the skinned nuts in a food processor and pulse until completely ground.
Set aside.
Chop chocolate, place in bowl, and set aside. Over medium heat in small sauce pan, bring cream to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate, stirring lightly to ensure complete melting. Let stand for at least one minute, and then whisk until smooth. Blend in ground hazelnuts and vanilla.
Cover and refrigerate for about an hour, or until mixture is of spreading consistency. Toast bread, slather with spread, bite off of chunk, groan with pleasure.
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