Sweet Chestnuts

[rich p]

Done some reading now. Cases are sharp little critters. I think I picked one out the dogs paw the other day. I shall head back to the site and investigate.

You really don't know what a farking chestnut is?

 

[raleighnut]

Nice with brussel sprouts, par boil said sprouts and add to frying pan with olive oil and peeled chestnuts ( meat eaters can add smoked bacon lardons as well)

 

[Crackle]

You really don't know what a farking chestnut is?

Is that another variety? Sweet, horse and Farking.

 

[subaqua]

the best Chestnut trees I knew have now gone. used to be in the top corner of a field in Little Barrow heading towards Hollowmore Heath . last time I rode past there was a housing estate there . used to love collecting them as a kid with my dad, then peeling some of them and a little sprinkle of salt on them .

aaahhhh jumpers for goalposts

 

[srw]

My middle child has just returned from a French exchange with tinned chestnuts, chestnut purée, home made purée (the grandmother made it), chestnut purée in a tube. I've yet to work out what I should use the purée for! So any recipe ideas will be gladly accepted.

Paging @rvw - though now can't remember what exactly her mother's recipe is I remember it was gorgeous. You can also use the puree (slightly sweetened) on pancakes.

 

[srw]

OK - so I can roast them and I can make soup out of them... what else? I have a rather good supply after a 45 min forage this afternoon. The tree just kept throwing them at me!

6lbs or 2.75kg in 45 mins.

View attachment 59671

Wow.

As @rich p says, nice in stews. They go very well with game (not much use if you're a veggie) and with mushrooms and cabbages - slow-cooked red and quick-cooked sprouts and things. With that many I'd be tempted to experiment with stewed autumn fruit - but in any boiling recipe you need to add them right at the end because they cook very quickly.

If you've got the time and the patience it would be worth attempting to make marrons glacés for Christmas, because (a) they're utterly gorgeous, and (b) they're filthily expensive in the shops - although I think it takes days and days.

The other thing worth knowing about chestnuts is that they freeze very well once prepared (peeled and deskinned) - just bung them in freezer bags; no need to faff around with blanching. You can roast or boil straight from the freezer. And for those without the patience to prepare their own, Waitrose sell pre-prepped frozen chestnuts, although the flavour isn't up to much.

I'm told (it's a task I leave to those with asbestos fingers) that prepping is much easier with a microwave than the traditional pan of boiling water - just make a little cross in the top and microwave for a few seconds.

 

[rich p]

I made a paté one Christmas with chicken livers, pork and chestnuts.
It was a tour de force although the actual recipe is now lost in the mists of alcohol fumes.

 

[srw]

At a rough guess - line a greased paté dish with streaky bacon. Mix up minced chicken livers, minced pork and roughly chopped chestnuts with some seasoning (off the top of my head, I'd use sage and nutmeg) and, if necessary something to bind. Pack the meaty stuff into the dish, top with more bacon, and bake in a bain marie until done.

Having said all that, I don't think I've ever made my own paté.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm fond of chestnut stuffing.

I thought that's illegal ....

 

[Aperitif]

marrons glacés ]

 

[Dayvo]

I thought that's illegal ....

Maybe in Oxon...

 

[GrumpyGregry]

A puree of sweet chestnuts spread thinly on tarmac is an excellent way to make members of the London Dynamo fall off their bikes in the Surrey Hills.

 

[Gravity Aided]

You really don't know what a farking chestnut is?

I live in the States, and have never ever seen one. I think all our chestnut trees died 60 years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chestnut

 

[Arch]

Leftover sprouts-and-chestnuts mix is very good in bubble and squeak.

 

[Ganymede]

I went chestnut-foraging yesterday too! I used to be almost vegan and we are often meat-free now, but at Christmas I used to make a chestnut, mushroom and red wine casserole for my dinner. It was good because if you were going to have Christmas dins at a rellie's or friend's house you could just take it with you and it had its own gravy.

Basically it was onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms fried up... I used to flambe it with brandy... add a pint of red wine, some stock, a load of chestnuts... cook till done... thicken with cornflour and a bit of soy sauce to darken it... careful with the saltiness if the stock is salty... Yum! The turkey-eaters used to nick it.

I also used to use chestnut puree to make a hot sweet souffle - I know you don't eat dairy but if you eat eggs I'm sure you could rustle up a version. It included quite a bit of grated dark chocolate which was particularly nice.