Pasta with Hazelnuts

Recipe from Christina Pirello (Cooking the Whole Foods Way).  This was absolutely delicious!

You'll need:

1 head garlic, roasted

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar *reduced - see below

1 lb. pasta

sea salt, to taste

chopped fresh parsley, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a head of garlic and slice off 1/4" from top; drizzle a little olive oil and some sea salt - wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until they are toasted/lightly browned. Once they are done and cooled put them on a hand towel and rub the skins off. (Not all of them will come off) Place nuts in a food processor and finely grind.

*Balsamic vinegar - Take 1/2 cup vinegar and put in small sauce pan over low heat. Let simmer uncovered until reduced by half.

Make pasta and set aside when cooked.

In a large pot saute' onion in 1 tbsp. olive oil until soft and translucent. Add mashed pulp from roasted garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil and cook for 5 minutes with a little sea salt. Take off heat and add in the balsamic vinegar reduction and all but 1/4 cup of the ground hazelnuts. Save the 1/4 cup for garnish on top. Add pasta to pot and mix together. Stir in parsley if using.