"A Number 1 favorite snack during the Holiday season!"
Chestnuts' taste vary slightly from one to the next but is somewhat sweet and certainly unique. Chestnut-based recipes and preparations are making a comeback in Italian cuisine, as part of the trend toward rediscovery of traditional dishes and better nutrition.
Ways to eat chestnuts:
"The fruit can be peeled and eaten raw, but eaten raw it can be somewhat astringent, especially if the pellicle is not removed.
Roasted Chestnuts: "Another method of eating the fruit
involves roasting (which does not require peeling). Roasting
requires scoring the fruit beforehand to prevent undue
expansion and "explosion" of the fruit. Once cooked, its texture
is similar to that of a baked potato, with a delicate, sweet, and
nutty flavour. This method of preparation is popular in
northern China where the scored chestnuts may be cooked in
a tub of heated coal pebbles."
Chestnuts can be dried and milled into flour: "which
can then be used to prepare breads, cakes, pancakes
pastas (it is the original ingredient for "polenta",
known in Corsica as "pulenda"), used as thickener for
stews, soups, and sauces. In Corsica the flour is fried into
doughnut-like fritters called fritelli and made into necci,
pattoni, castagnacci, and cialdi."
"The flour can be light beige like that from Castagniccia, or
darker in other regions. It is a good solution for long storage
of a nutritious food. Chestnut bread keeps fresh for as long as
two weeks."
"The nuts can also be eaten candied, boiled, steamed, grilled,
or roasted in sweet or savoury recipes. They can be used to
stuff vegetables, poultry, fowl and other edibles. They are
available fresh, dried, ground, canned (whole or in puree).
"A fine granular sugar can be obtained from the fermentation
of the juice, as well as a beer; and the roasted fruit provides a
coffee substitute. Parmentier, who among other things was a
famous potato promoter, extracted sugar from chestnuts and
sent a chestnut sugarloaf of several pounds' weight to the
Academy of Lyon. The continental blockade following shortly after (1806-1814) increased the research into developing chestnuts as a source of sugar, but Napoleon chose beets instead."
Helpful Notes:
• Peel roasted chestnuts as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Once they cool completely, they are difficult to peel.
• Don't buy chestnuts with little holes: this indicates worms-
• Bake a pork roast with rutabagas and pealed chestnuts!
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Holiday recipes deserve a dedicated section because of their variety and richness.
Resources:
Roasted Chestnuts
1 1/2 to 2 pounds whole chestnuts in shell
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
Make a large X in each chestnut with chestnut knife or a sharp paring knife, cutting through shell. Toss chestnuts with oil in a bowl.
Heat dry cast-iron skillet over moderately low heat until hot, then roast chestnuts in skillet on stovetop, covered, stirring every few minutes, for 15 minutes total.
Add water and continue to roast, covered, stirring occasionally, until water is evaporated and chestnuts are tender, about 5 minutes more. Serve hot.
Method 2: Make cuts, Place on a baking sheet in a 400-degree F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.
