Hazelnut and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Here's an easy condiment that you can whip up in minutes when you have all of the ingredients on hand and will be such a welcome addition or finishing touch to so many dishes, you might just want to have a jar of it in the refrigerator at all times for adding that little pizzazz that lifts your dish from ordinary to extraordinary. Really!

Red, White and Blue Crostini

I came across the recipe as an addition to a grilled cheese over at "Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet" blog  and it was love at first bite. Since I live in the land of hazelnuts here Piemonte, and they just happen to be my all time favorite nut, it didn't take me long to whip this pesto up.  I am able to get soft and salty sun dried tomatoes at our Pinerolo market, straight from the producers in southern Italy. They are a delightful treat that I find more versatile than the ones in the oil. Naturally if you don't have access to hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts can step in with a different twist but tasty no less. If using the tomatoes in the oil, I would drain the oil and measure it for the oil that you would be using in the recipe and maybe use a bit less. 

Chunky version hazelnut tomato pesto

The first time I made this I blended the tomatoes with the oil and everything else but the nuts first to a rough stage before adding the hazelnuts so that I had larger pieces of nuts, which I found to be an unexpected crunch that I really appreciated. This last time  when I made it I chucked everything into the small hand blender's food processor attachment and blended it all up making a very smooth paste. Not sure which I prefer. It's a bit like smooth or crunchy peanut butter. Sometimes one is preferable and other times you just want the other. 

Ricotta and Hazelnut Tomato Pesto Farinata 

I have used it on top of a celery stick filled with a bit of mascarpone cheese, farinata (which is a chickpea pancake Ligurian specialty) that has had ricotta smeared on top and the pesto on top of that, crostini, with ricotta or other soft spreadable cheeses and as a great substitute on your favorite burger, meat or veggie or lifting an ordinary sandwich to new heights. The list is endless. I have yet use it on pasta cause I am usually too busy dunking my grissini in it. It is a perfect picnic addition as we found out one afternoon.

Picinic fare

When the weather isn't cooperating, all you need is to make a batch of this pesto and it'll feel like the sun is shining on your palate and what could be better than that?

The smooth pesto version 

I've slightly adapted the recipe and you should too to what ever you have on hand, but if you can find hazelnuts, or filberts, the domesticated American variety of hazelnuts, you will find them worth seeking out. Now get in the kitchen and mix up a batch!

Hazelnut and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients:
3/4 cup raw, whole hazelnuts, shelled
3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, cut up
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon coarsely-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Optional: a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors slightly, being carrel not to add too much so that it covers the subtle hazelnut flavor

Instructions:
Preheat a small skillet over medium-high heat. 
Add the hazelnuts.
Toast the nuts in the dry heavy skillet, tossing occasionally, until they start to pick up color and are fragrant, approximately 7 minutes. 
Remove from heat, allow to cool without picking up too much color and set aside.
Combine all the other ingredients in a food processor and process until relatively smooth. Add the reserved hazelnuts and process further until the hazelnuts are chopped, but the "pesto" maintains a chunky texture.
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before use to give the oil time to rehydrate the tomatoes. 
Stir before use. 
Will keep, refrigerated, for well more than a week. 

Chunky style

World Nutella Day is Here!

February 5th has been declared World Nutella Day, by the lovely ladies consisting of Michelle over at Bleeding Espresso and Sara at Ms Adventures in Italy, in case you hadn't heard.

There is nothing quite as exciting as opening a fresh jar of creamy hazelnut chocolate yumminess, especially to my husband. He grew up on the stuff, slathered on bread for breakfast or after school with Nonna who sandwiched it between Pavesini biscuits, to keep his energy level up. Like Fabrizio needs it. You will understand what I mean if you know him. He's a pretty high energy kind of guy most of the time, with or without Nutella, but he would prefer with!

In honor of this momentous occasion, I made mini banana cakes with a dollop of Nutella on top, which promptly sunk to the bottom yet made for a welcome surprise when you thought it was just an ordinary banana tortino.

The recipe I used was roughly based on Flo Brakers' banana sheet cake from her delightful "Perfect Baking" volume. I served them warm with caramel sauce, but there just as tasty cold. Nutella here in Italy is quite creamy, so the center stays soft even when cold the next day.
Hot or cold, don't delay to try this combination. I am sure you will be making them a regular feature whenever you have a banana that is calling out that it's time for plain eating has passed and it's being called for greater glory paired with Nutella.
Go on, you know you want to.

Banana Nutella Cakelettes
Yields 6 very generous mini cakes or one 10-12 in round.

Sift together
1 cup (100g) cake flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
Set aside.

Whisk together
3 T (50g) butter, lightly browned
1/2 c (100g) brown sugar

Add
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 c (50g) yogurt or sour cream
1/2 c /1 banana, smashed
1 tsp orange or lemon zest

Gently fold in the flour mixture.
Mix until all is incorporated.
Fill your prepared pan.

Drop
1 Tb generous, Nutella onto the top of your batter in each cup.
Quickly put into your preheated 375*(190*) oven.

Bake until they spring back.
Cool a few minutes before unmolding.
Serve warm with caramel or chocolate sauce.
Wait for the appreciative oohs and ahhs.

Be sure to check the World Nutella Day website on Monday, February 9 for the 2009 recipe roundup!

Torta di Nocciole, Piedmont's and Dante's perennial favorite!

Piemonte is famous for it's cuisine and has an impressive list to call it's own that I like to feature in my quest to make our region more familiar to the general public outside of Italy. So today I have an easy and also a perennial favorite in this house hold that features our beloved native Hazelnut, know in Italian as Torta di Nocciole. it has long been one of my favorite nuts, especially as a baker. It has a delicate and to my mind very elegant ans sophisticated flavor. It's versatility makes it ideal for a variety of cakes, tarts, chocolates, cookies, well, I think you get the picture.
This hazelnut cake has special place in my in-laws hearts and is their latest, favorite of my offerings, as you can see from the photo that I didn't get a picture before we all had devoured a slice.
You find this cake throughout the area, but I tend to associate it with the province of Cuneo and their famous hazelnut groves that not only supply Ferrero Rocher for use in making their Nutella and other chocolate delights, which you will find at every check out stand in Italy during the Christmas season, incidentally, but also for the famous truffles found lurking underneath them.
This recipe comes courtesy of Kyle Philips' Italian Cooking recipe collection and was given to him by one if his friends that he has made in his many years living in Italy. Kyle's blog is a wealth of information on Italian cuisine and culture, with many collected recipes from most of the regions of Italy. Worth checking out when you are stuck for ideas on what to make for dinner, what wine to chose to go along with, or if you are looking for a specific recipe you can't find.
my friends over at who

I am sending this recipe over to BloggerAid, where my blogger friends Val, of More Than Burnt Toast, Ivy, of Kopiaste, and Giz and Psychgrad, of Equal Opportunity Kitchen, have cooked up a wonderful place to share ideas for raising awareness of world hunger and raising money to help alleviate this concern .

Please click on the link, BloggerAid, to find out more about their mission, and how we all can help. We all know this isn't an easy time for anyone in the world these days, so it is important that we join together and do all that we can to help each other and make sure there is enough food on the table for all. I'll be sharing some of my other favorite suggestions in the next couple of weeks, during this season of giving that doesn't take a fortune to help out others and will make a difference in people's lives, maybe even your own.

So on to this deliciously easy cake that is special enough to serve over the holidays. Original recipe here. As is the case here in Italy anything that rates as a dessert for dinner is fair game for breakfast and this cake fits into that category as well. I completely agree with Kyle's suggestion that the recipe goes by weight and you may find it easier to calculate it, rather than convert it to volumes.
I finish my cake once they have completely cooled with a dusting of powdered sugar using a stencil to make a decorative pattern. You can also use doilies to a similar effect or make your own stencil for a elegant finishing touch.

Torta di Nocciole or Hazelnut cake

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces (250 g) toasted hazelnuts
• 4 ounces (100 g) Oro Saiwa Cookies (Graham crackers or Petit Burre will do as a substitute)
• 4 ounces (100 g, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 6 ounces (150 g, 3/4 cup) sugar
• 3 eggs, separated
• 6 ounces (150 g) dark chocolate at least 65%, rough chopped, but somewhat fine

Preparation:

Whirl the nuts and cookies in a small food processor or blender, until they're a fairly fine powder.
Combine it with the crumbled chocolate.
Cream the sugar and butter and then add the egg yolks, whisking until the mixture is pale yellow.

Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).

Whip the whites to soft but firm peaks.
Combine the nut and cookie mixture with the butter mixture, combining thoroughly.
Fold in the whites.
Transfer the batter into a prepared greased and floured, cake pan of sufficient size for the batter to be about an inch deep, around 25 cm or 10-12" pan. I use a cheese cake type pan allowing the sides to be removed. You can also cut a round of baking paper to fit in a non removable bottomed pan for insuring your cakes come out easily.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool partially before moving.
Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.