Wild Hazelnuts
Autumn is my favourite time of the year….
This year a cherish Autumn more than ever before, being part of Forth Valley Wild Wonders group has made even more excited about wild foods and picking it.
We had a kind weather today where the sun was getting easily through colourful tree crowns. I enjoy going for a walk in such a colourful scenery and look for a hidden treasures underneath fallen leaves.
I stumbled upon few mushrooms, some herbs but the most amazing discovery was an old hazel tree. There was plenty empty hazelnut shell lying on the forest floor… clearly squirrel got there first. With a little bit of help from my little one, we managed to find a couple handfuls of hazelnuts.
I have made an easy wild hazelnut dressing which I will use to dress the salad and it’s a great topping for my roast cauliflower soup.
Ingredients:
- 170g of wild hazelnuts or blanched whole hazelnuts
- 75ml of cold pressed rapeseed oil, I use Summer Harvest Rapeseed oil
- 75ml hazelnut oil ( alternatively use 75ml sunflower oil)
- 1 banana shallot – finely chopped
- handful of finely chopped hairy bittercress or parsley
- Blackthorn Sea salt – good pinch to taste
- Freshly ground Black pepper-to taste, my favourite produce is BoTree Black Kampot Pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Shell wild hazelnuts and place them in oven for 6 min till lightly roasted. Using pestle and mortal crushed them into halves, you can whizz them in food processor or chop them by hand.
Transfer hazelnuts into mixing bowl, add finely chopped banana shallots and hairy bittercress, coat with both oils and season to taste.
Place in airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days or use straight away in your salad or on top of the soup.
Very interesting, look forward to reading more.