Have you ever tried roasting your own hazelnuts at home? I’d say it’s certainly worth the bother – especially when you have them straight out of the oven, still soft and warm. The house fills up with a wonderful nutty smell which you can only appreciate once you’ve tried it…. And it can be cheap too!
There are lots of hazelnut trees near where I live for example. I only realized it after I saw a few ladies collecting them under the tree a couple of summers ago. There’s little opportunity for foraging in our Modern lives. Make sure you take advantage of every bit you can, especially if you have a child! It’s not only nutritious but also educational and therapeutic to spend time together enjoying nature and collecting straight from the source. I had these hazelnuts sitting in a bag since September. They came out beautifully!
This is hardly a recipe, but if you want to know what to do, here it is:
I just stripped off their leafy outer layers and spread them in the tray as shown in the picture. It took 15 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 160 celcius degrees. Then a nut cracker helped to break the harder outer shells.