#22 Nutella Forever!

Shownotes for #22 Nutella Forever!

The music for the opening and ending of the show is Fast Food Rampage by the The Touch Ups, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

Stuff you need to know for this show's recipe:

All the recipes here are an hour or less. Total preparation time for is less than 30 minutes.

Talk Back! We are a Snacking Community. Go to the End of these Shownotes and click on comments. Leave your thoughts and experiences. Or email me at [e-mail].

The podsafe music used in the show:

This week, I'm featuring ‘Waking Up The Neighbourhood’ by Planet of Women. ' They are an all-woman punk trio located somewhere between AC/DC and The Supremes. This is their first single. It’s an explosive anthem featuring Jade’s searing, Joplin-esque vocals. It's done fantastically well reaching #9 in the rock singles chart in Britain and staying in the top 30 here for 4 weeks.

Here is the lead recipe I describe in the show:

script: Nutella is a wildly popular food which all Italians eat but no one talks about. They don't talk about it because it doesn't occur to them to do so. They are too busy eating it. Nutella is to Italians what peanut butter is to Americans and vegemite is to Australians- delicious, healthy, easy to use for a quick snack on bread and other things.

Nutella was born in the autumn of 1945. At the time, cocoa was in short supply due to war rationing, and chocolate was a delicacy limited to a lucky few. So Pietro Ferrero mixed cocoa with toasted hazelnuts, cocoa butter and vegetable oils to create an economical chocolate spread. Four years later, the recipe was made more creamy to simplify it's "spreadability". It's famous name is quite international - it starts with the English word "nut" to which was added "ella." The trademark logo - with the black "n" and the red "utella" was completed in 1963. The first jar of Nutella rolled off the production line in the city of Alba April 20th, 1964.

Nutella is a spread made of sugar, vegetable oils, hazelnuts, lean cocoa, lactaide, powdered skim milk, milk proteins, emulsion, soy and "aromas".

There is a great site for nutella recipes on recipegoldmine. I've pulled some of my favorites for snacking here. Many other recipes exist, including more elaborate desserts that take longer than an hour.

Recipes need editing.

Nutella Fruit Mini Pizzas (V)

Split an English muffin in half. Spread a layer of cream cheese, then a layer of Nutella on each half and warm in a toaster oven. Top each half with sliced strawberries.

Nutella Log (V)

Spread the cut sides of a hot dog bun with Nutella. Cut a banana in half, lengthwise, and sandwich with half the banana in the bun.

Grilled Pineapple with Nutella (V)

Source: Giada De Laurentis - Everyday Italian

2 pineapples, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch
thick slices and core removed
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup Nutella
6 tablespoons whipping cream
Olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts

Prepare the outdoor barbecue to medium-high heat. If you do not have a barbecue, you can use an indoor grill pan set to medium high heat. Lightly oil the grill. Grill the pineapple slices until heated through and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes per side. It's important to leave the pineapples on the grill, untouched so that you can create the grill marks. While the pineapples are cooking, whisk the mascarpone and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. Set aside.

Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place in a microwave on HIGH for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds to blend well. Alternatively, you can combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small saucepan, set over low heat, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Heat until satiny smooth and easy to pour, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the pineapple slices to a large platter. Drizzle the warm chocolate-hazelnut sauce over.

Dollop the mascarpone mixture atop. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve.

10 to 12 servings

Banana Hazelnut Empanadas (V)

1 large, ripe banana, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup Nutella hazelnut spread
1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
2 tablespoons water (for brushing)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Cinnamon ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)

In small bowl, mix banana and Nutella until combined (it will thicken and become stiff). Set aside.

Divide dough into sections. squash one section on top of another. Roll into a circle 1/4 inch thick. Place 1 heaping teaspoon Nutella-banana mixture on each dough cutout. Brush outer perimeter with water and fold dough to make a closed pocket. Pinch edges together with fork. Brush with water and sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate on parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheets for at least 15 minutes.

Bake empanadas until golden, about 12 minutes.

Serve warm with cinnamon ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Thyme Restaurant Chocolate Croque Monsieur (V)

Source: Bubala, chef at Thyme restaurant, Chicago, Illinois

Serves 6 people.

1 brioche bread loaf
1 small jar Nutella
1 cup raspberry jam
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Warm the Nutella in a water bath until soft.

Slice the brioche 1/4 inch thick.

Spread the softened Nutella on one piece of bread, the raspberry jam on the other. Coat lightly. Put the two pieces together to form a sandwich.

In a non-stick pan, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Place the sandwich in and cook until golden, then flip over and do the same thing.

Cut the sandwich into 4 equal pieces and give it a dusting of powdered sugar and serve it warm.

Here is the shopping list for next week:

Next week I'm going to tell you about how to make oatmeal in ways that fit breakfast, lunch and an elegant dinner. You need some oatmeal to play around with. You can just get some of the oatmeal in the round box at any supermarket. Or, you can search out rolled oats at the bulk section. If you are lucky, that bulk section will have steel-cut oats or pinhead oats. If so, buy some these to try. You'll also need a cup of oat bran (from the bulk section), maple syrup, dried cranberries, bottle of liquid smoke, bottle A-1 sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, chocolate chips, yogurt, vanilla extract, onion, carrot, chicken or vegetable stock, some eggs for scrambling, and if you feel like splurging, a few slices of smoked salmon.