Roasted shelled hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are probably the most typical dried fruit of the Italian tradition, they are very caloric because they are rich in fat, but they are fat than the good ones in fact they are very rich in omega-3, moreover they are also rich in vitamins, especially E and mineral salts.

Roasted shelled hazelnuts properties and benefits

The content of good fats helps to increase the so-called good cholesterol (HDL) and consequently to decrease the bad one (LDL).

We said about the content of vitamin E, which has antioxidant properties: it fights free radicals and promotes cell renewal.

The good fiber content also facilitates intestinal transit.

Nutritional values ​​of roasted hazelnuts

The calorie intake of one hundred grams of toasted hazelnuts is really important, as much as 646 kilocalories. 80.8% of calories are provided by 62.4 grams of fat while 15 grams of protein provide 8% of the calorie intake. Of the 62.4 grams of fat only 4.5 are made up of the infamous saturated fats, the others are good fats (especially monounsaturated). As for mineral salts, looking at the absolute numbers, 755 milligrams of potassium stand out, but in reality it is the daily requirement that we must look at, being the average daily requirement of potassium estimated in 3 grams, these represent 25% of the requirement, an important value , but lower for example than that ensured by 4.38 milligrams of iron compared to an average daily requirement of 10 mg (for men, for women it is higher due to menstruation and also during breastfeeding). The 173 milligrams of magnesium also represent an important percentage of the daily requirement which in an adult man is estimated between 300 and 500 milligrams (so much variability is due to the fact that it should actually be calculated based on weight: 6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight). Finally, as regards vitamins, always looking at the daily requirement, the 0.338 milligrams of Thiamine (B1) stand out against a daily requirement that is 1.2 mg per day for men and 0.9 mg for women and 0.62 milligrams of Pyridoxine (B6)) compared to a daily requirement of 1.5 mg for men and 1.1 for women.

The plant

There is no single type of hazelnut, in reality the common term hazelnut indicates the fruits of all species belonging to the genus Corylus which includes different species of deciduous trees and large shrubs . But from the commercial point of view, the species of interest is essentially only one, the Corylus avellana. Corylus Avellana is a shrub that if it grows freely can reach 8 meters but in crops it ranges from 2 to 4. The leaves are roughly round and with a toothed margin. The flowers are spike inflorescences. The spherical fruit is partially enveloped by modified leaves (bracts).

History and curiosities

The hazelnut is a decidedly local fruit, present in Europe since prehistoric times. Its distribution area is the European-Caucasian one.

The term avellana in the name of the species derives, however, from a place that is really close to us, the municipality of Avella in the province of Avellino, known since ancient times for the cultivation of hazelnuts. Pliny wrote about it in his Naturalis Historia, the name was taken up by the German physician and botanist of 1500 Leonhart Fuchs in his De historia stirpium commentarii insignes and through this later by Linnaeus.

Italy is not the first world producer in terms of quantity (we are still in second place) but the quality of Italian hazelnuts, in particular the Piedmontese trilobata, is universally recognized as the best. For this reason the Tonda Gentile delle Langhe (synonym Trilobata) is now an IGP product, but all the Italian production is excellent.

An archaeological site has been found in Scotland, specifically a well with the remains of hundreds of thousands of burned shells, dating back to 9000 years ago.

Hazelnuts are mentioned in both Greek and Roman myths and in the Bible.

Hazelnuts in the kitchen

Although if you look carefully you will also find some savory recipes, there is no doubt that hazelnuts in the kitchen are mainly used in delicious dessert recipes. We won't even talk about the combination with cocoa, the chocolate shop has made itPiedmontese and today a well-known company of that region, famous all over the world. Among the recipes we found online, the one of:

made us water

Mascarpone biscuits and toasted and shelled hazelnuts

Ingredients

300 gr of flour

100 gr of butter

180 gr of sugar

100 gr of chopped hazelnuts

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

4 eggs

1 vial of vanilla flavoring

1 vial of rum aroma

½ sachet of baking powder

250 gr of mascarpone

Preparation

Before starting to prepare the recipe, it is important to take some small steps to get the best result:

make sure you take the Mascarpone Santa Lucia out of the fridge about 30 minutes before preparation;

make sure the eggs are at room temperature before starting the preparation.

1) Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl

2) Combine cinnamon and 100g of sugar and mix well.

3) Cut the butter into chunks and add it to the flour.

4) Mix everything well using the electric whisk with the metal hooks.

5) As soon as the mixture is grainy, add 2 eggs, the chopped hazelnuts and the vanilla vial.

6) Continue mixing with the metal hooks until you get a ball.

7) Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pastry board and quickly knead the mixture until a smooth and homogeneous ball is obtained.

8) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes; in the meantime heat the oven to 180 °.

9) Meanwhile, in a bowl, separate the yolks from the whites, add the remaining sugar to the yolks and whip the mixture with an electric whisk until it is light and fluffy.

10) Add the mascarpone and the aroma vial to the rum and mix again until a smooth and homogeneous cream is obtained.

11) Whip the egg whites until stiff.

12) As soon as they are ready, gently combine the egg whites with the cream, mixing with a wooden ladle from bottom to top, trying not to dismantle the mixture, then put the cream in refrigerator.

13) Take the shortcrust pastry from the fridge and roll it out to a thickness of 5/6 mm; line a plate with baking paper and with the help of cookie cutters, make the molds.

14) Arrange them well spaced on the plate and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, then leave to cool.

15) Serve the hazelnut biscuits accompanying them with the mascarpone cream prepared previously.

Recipe source: https://www.galbani.it/ricette/biscotti-mascarpone-e-nocciole