Toasted Hazelnut Gremolata with Green Beans for the Holidays

Toasted Hazelnuts, Parsley, Lemon Zest & Juice, Garlic & EVOO

Do include green beans even if you’re simplifying Thanksgiving dinner this year. Treat those green beans well with this easy yet sophisticated recipe for Toasted Hazelnut Gremolata with Green Beans. Delicious, both for holiday entertaining and throughout the year. Toasted Hazelnut Gremolata adds a burst of fresh and bright flavor as a garnish for boiled, steamed, roasted or grilled vegetables. It’s equally bright as a condiment swirled into soups, stews, warm pasta, risotto, polenta or a pot of beans.

According to food authority Good Housekeeping,

Gremolata is an [Italian] herb condiment classically made from parsley, lemon zest and finely chopped garlic. And it is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to add a finishing hit of fresh flavor to any meal, from soups, to salads, to pastas, and more.

Today’s recipe punches up Gremolata with toasted hazelnuts, more lemon and some extra virgin olive oil to make it more of a bright herb sauce rather than a sprinkle. Actually, you can change out the nuts, i.e., toasted almonds, walnuts, pistachios or pine nuts. And, you could add other herbs along with the parsley, i.e., cilantro, basil, rosemary or thyme.

Tips for Peeling Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts have a thin brown and slightly bitter skin. For the best flavor, peel the nuts. If you’ve toasted and wrapped hot hazelnuts in a towel before, you know that immediately rubbing the nuts together only removes some of their skin.

Remove even more of the skin:

• Toast the hazelnuts in a 300-degree oven for 15 minutes.
• Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and immediately wrap them in a clean kitchen towel.
• Here’s the key: Let the nuts sit in the towel for 20 minutes to cool. Then, with the nuts still inside the towel, use your hands outside the towel, to vigorously rub the hazelnuts together to remove their skin.

Why the 20-minute wait works so well:

• When the nuts are heated, they expand.
• When the nuts have time to cool, they contract.
• It is the contraction that separates the nuts from their skin, allowing it to more easily fall away.

My New Citrus Juicer

I love the ease and efficiency of this Chef’n FreshForce Citrus Juicer. Noticeably less force on my part yields more juice on its part. What a difference the right tool makes. Though, pricey for juicing citrus. I bought mine on sale and am very glad I did.

Toasted Hazelnut Gremolata with Green Beans

• A lower oven temperature and more time, give the hazelnuts a deeper flavor.
• Most of the time involved in this recipe comes from toasting and peeling the hazelnuts. With already toasted nuts, Gremolata can be made in 5-10 minutes. For the holidays, prep your hazelnuts the day in advance, and, perhaps, even the Gremolata itself.
• Vegan, Gluten and Dairy-free.
• Inspired by and adapted from a recipe from the Williams Sonoma test kitchen.

                                                                        Printer-Friendly Recipe
Makes 1 ¼ cups (enough for 2 pounds of green beans)
Total time  45 minutes (including 20 minutes for the toasted nuts to cool before peeling them)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup hazelnuts (2 oz./60 g)
• 1 ½ cups tightly packed and well-dried flat-leaf parsley leaves with fine stems (1 oz./30 g)
• 1 large garlic clove
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (3 tablespoons if using  Meyer Lemons)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds green beans, stem ends trimmed

Instructions

1. Prepare the Toasted Hazelnut Gremolata: Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Toast the hazelnuts on a baking pan for 15 minutes. Immediately wrap the hazelnuts in a towel. Let the hazelnuts cool in the towel for 20 minutes. Then, with the nuts still inside the towel, use your hands outside the towel, to vigorously rub the hazelnuts together to remove their skin.
2. With the processor running, drop the garlic through the feed tube. Scrape the minced garlic off the sides of the work bowl.
3. Add the peeled hazelnuts, parsley, lemon zest and salt to the garlic. Pulse 5 times then scrape the mixture from the sides. Pulse about another 4-plus times until the hazelnuts are coarsely chopped and the parsley minced. Transfer this mixture to a small bowl.
4. Use a fork to stir in the lemon juice and ¼ cup of your best extra virgin olive oil. Add additional salt to taste, so your Gremolata tastes both a bit salty and lemony.
5. Use at room temperature.
6. Toasted Hazelnut Gremolata can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
7. Prepare the green beans: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans. Begin timing the green beans for 6 minutes once the water comes back to a boil. Test a green bean or two at the 4-minute mark. If not tender, cook another minute and test again. Continue testing and cooking until the beans are as you like them.
8. Drain the beans well. Lay them out on a platter. Garnish with the room temperature Toasted Hazelnut Gremolata and serve. Alternatively, toss the greens beans with the Gremolata.

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