Italian dream: Jamie Oliver’s Gianduja – the original Nutella

As is often the case with beautiful recipes, the creation of gianduja was due to the austerity of restrictions placed on imports to Europe, meaning chocolate was in short supply. To stretch it further, chocolatier Michele Prochet blended his supplies with ground hazelnuts – genius. It couldn’t be easier to make from scratch, plus you have a wonderful gift to share – your lucky, lucky recipients won’t stop talking about it!

Gianduja

(The original Nutella)

Makes 600g
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
150g blanched hazelnuts
400g quality dark chocolate (70%)
100g icing sugar
mild olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Toast the hazelnuts in a roasting tray for 6 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove to a food processor and blitz to your desired consistency – I like a little bit of crunch but it’s up to you whether to go smooth or chunky. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally. Once smooth, add a little pinch of sea salt, sift in the icing sugar, pour in 200ml of oil, sprinkle in the blitzed hazelnuts and stir to combine. Easy!

You can eat the gianduja right away, or keep it in a sterilised jar for up to 6 weeks in a cool, dark place. Once opened, use within a couple of weeks. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but it’s delicious on toast, in or on croissants, drizzled over pancakes, layered between cake sponges, or even tossed through fresh pasta.

These values are based on 50g
Calories: 306kcal
Fat: 23.9g
Saturated fat: 6g
Protein: 2.4g
Carbs: 21.6g
Sugar: 21.2g
Salt: 0.1g
Fibre: 0.6g

Extracted from Jamie Cooks Italy by Jamie Oliver (Michael Joseph, approx €29). Penguin Random House © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2018 Jamie Cooks Italy). Photography by David Loftus.

Catch the next episode of Jamie Cooks Italy Monday night at 8.30pm on Channel 4.