Lacto-Fermenation is one of the oldest food preservation methods still regularly used. It is not Witchcraft or Sorcery and it's effective tasty and pretty much bullet proof. If it tastes good, then it's good. Plus the resultant pickles have the benefit of home made probiotics. Lacto-Fermentation has nothing to do with dairy products, the lacto refers to lactic acid. All fruits and vegetables have beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus on the surface. In an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, these bacteria convert sugars into lactic acid, which inhibits harmful bacteria and acts as a preservative. It's also what gives fermented foods their characteristic sour flavour. The earliest record of fermentation dates back as far as 6000 B.C. in the Fertile Crescent -and nearly every civilization since has included at least one fermented food in its culinary heritage. From Korean kimchi and Indian chutneys to the ubiquitous sauerkraut.
Contrary to popular belief Will Keith Kellogg did not invent Peanut Butter. It was actually a Canadian chap called Marcellus Gilmore Edson. But he didn’t have an early autumn glut of Hazelnuts. We do!
So we thought we’d have a pop at Hazelnut Butter…..
Ingredients:-
Hazelnuts
Oil
Salt
Method:-
(1) Shell the Hazelnuts. If you don’t nave a nut cracker you could aways use a kitchen cloth and rolling pin on a hards surface. Our neibours will again think we’re up to some dreadful DIY gig, or worse!
(2) Heat the oven to 180c and roast the nuts for 15 minutes.
(3) Allow them to cool to room temperature.
(4) In a food processor add a teaspoon of Salt, depending on the amount of nuts you have. It wants to be quite salty without being overpowering.
(5) Blend the roasted nuts until you get a bread crumb consistency.
(6) In a bowl add oil a little at a time until everything will fold together in a firm dough. Check for salt and add a little extra to suite your taste if required.
(7) Spoon into a jar and store in the fridge.
I’m not expecting our trial batch to last long. But there’s a high risk that I’ll be making a much bigger batch when I’m next not supervised!
