For the Love of Nutella

nithya — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:13:20 +0000

Today is World Nutella Day, and I applaud the good people who decided that this chocolate and hazelnut wonder deserves a day of it’s own. In honor of the occasion, I want to share the nutella drenched waffle pictured above that I had at Wafels & Dinges, a Belgian waffles truck. Yes, that’s right. A truck. Where else but in New York, right?* Yet another reason I love this city – it has trucks motoring around cheap gourmet treats. I first read about them here in the NY Times and was looking forward to trying one ever since. Fortunately, Wafels & Dinges seems to have found a semi-permanent home on 7th Avenue in Park Slope. I decided to start my waffle truck experience with a liege wafel with nutella, a dentist’s dream…The liege is advertised as having “sugar pearls” and it really does have nuggets of crystallized sugar throughout. Maybe a few too many. Next time, I’m opting for the Brussels Waffle.

Also, here’s another nutella treat that may be of interest which I blogged about back in November, Nutella Ricotta Stuffed Pancakes. The pancakes use King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour and part skim ricotta which give a savoury taste that tempers the sweet decadence of nutella nicely. Translation: it won’t make you feel like your teeth are going to fall out. I’m sending all of these over to World Nutella Day, hosted by Ms. Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso.

*After thinking about it for a few more minutes, I realize I’ve had delicious street food, where else, but in many cities throughout India (although occasionally followed by unpleasant GI issues). Where do you get your favorite street foods? Know of a really good street cart? I would love to hear about it – click here to leave a comment below and share it.

Update: Check out all of the Nutella Day entries here.

Nutella Ricotta Stuffed Pancakes and Roasted Home Fries

nithya — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:50:13 +0000

Last night, we met some friends for dinner at Cafe Ino, and I didn’t manage to save any room for their nutella panino. We woke up this morning to hear what could only have been ginormous raindrops hitting our skylight, and I knew it was a perfect day for a decadent brunch. We made nutella ricotta stuffed pancakes and roasted home fries.

Nutella Ricotta Stuffed Pancakes
(makes enough batter for ~8 pancakes)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1 – 1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil (we use soy butter or olivio)
3/4 tspn. salt
2 tspn. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. part skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. nutella
1 handful sliced almonds (optional)
Honey or syrup

First, whisk the flour, eggs, milk, butter, salt, baking powder and sugar in a mixing bowl until there are no clumps. I’m low tech on baking gadgets so I use a hand whisker. Second, mix in the ricotta cheese and nutella. Stir in the almonds. Adjust the amount of milk as needed. The batter should pour easily but not be too runny. Third, heat a griddle and when hot, drop a pat of butter or vegetable oil onto the surface. Drop about a 1/4 cup of batter on the middle of the skillet. When the pancake starts to look firm and bubbles a bit on the top, use a spatula to flip. Cook until the other side is browned. Fourth, to keep the pancakes hot while you make a batch, you can either store each pancake on an ovenproof plate in the oven on low heat (~125 degrees) or place a piece of aluminum foil over a plate pressing it down on three sides leaving one side open to slide the pancakes in. Fifth, enjoy with a pat of butter topped by honey or syrup.

I’m a salty and sweet person, and, like most desis, I love potatoes. Roasted home fries are an ideal breakfast side because you can start them up and throw them in the oven while you make the pancakes.

Roasted Home Fries

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
Dried Italian herb seasoning*
1/4 tspn. lal mirch
Sea salt
1/2 tbsp. olive oil

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Second, peel and dice the potatoes then put them into a mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil, a generous sprinkling of sea salt and dried herb seasoning* and lal mirch. Third, hold a plate (top side facing up) tightly over the mixing bowl and shake well until the potatoes are evenly coated. I do this over the sink just in case! Fourth, cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spread the potatoes onto the sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes or until tender. Turn the pieces if they start to get too browned. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes to get a little crunchiness. Serve hot.

*I use Trader Joe’s 21 Season Salute – it’s a mix of onions, garlic, black pepper, celery seed, parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano and more but any italian seasoning will do.

Now that I have a lot of ricotta leftover, I would love to hear about ideas for using it!

hungry desi » Nutella

For the Love of Nutella

Nutella Ricotta Stuffed Pancakes and Roasted Home Fries