Need advice on chestnuts

September 29, 2008

Does anyone have ideas of how to use chestnuts? I know they should

probably be used sparingly. I just love the taste of them and a friend

has called me with information to purchase about 3-5 pounds of these.

Thank you for any help at all. Mimi

September 29, 2008

I can't find where I got this recipe from. I thought that it was this list but I can't find it now. Anyways, I had never even seen a chestnut before moving from So. Calif. to BC, Canada and now, during the holiday season, I stock up, process them, and feeze them in 8oz container to use during the year.

I will warn you that they aren't the easiest thing to process but I feel that they are well worth the effort! Here is a website that explains how to pre-cook them. I cut a cross in them, boil them, peel them, and then put them thru the food processor.

http://www.chestnutbrook.com.au/chestnut-cooking-recipes.html

And here is one of my all-time-favorite soup recipes.

CHESTNUT SOUP

8oz chopped roasted chestnuts

4 cloves garlic

1 chopped onion

1 chopped carrot

1 chopped celery stalk

1/4 tsp thyme

2 bay leaves

3/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp nutmeg

5 cups water w/3 packets of veg broth mix

Water sautee garlic, onion, carrot, and celery.

Add remaining ingredients and boil 45 mins.

Blend with hand blender

StefAnimals are my friends - and I don't eat my friends. George Bernard Shaw --- On Sun, 9/28/08, mimi37148 <mimi wrote:

mimi37148 <mimi Need advice on chestnuts Received: Sunday, September 28, 2008, 11:37 PM

Does anyone have ideas of how to use chestnuts? I know they should probably be used sparingly. I just love the taste of them and a friend has called me with information to purchase about 3-5 pounds of these. Thank you for any help at all. Mimi

Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Answers.

October 4, 2008

These recipes are both from Dr. Gillian McKeith's website, for the BBC program,

You Are What You Eat.

Lentil chestnut burgers and steamed vegetables IngredientsMakes 4 burgers

2 small onions, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed

1 cup of red split lentils, soaked for a few hours

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

1 tbsp tamari

3 tbsp tomato puree

200g of vacuum packed chestnuts, roughly chopped

½ cup of hazelnuts

2 tbsp coarse yellow corn flour

1 tbsp olive oil

a selection of vegetables (e.g. broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, celeriac)

Method

Put the onions, garlic, lentils and herbs into a pan with 1 ½ - 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, scoop off any scum that arises then turn down, cover and simmer until all the water has been absorbed and the lentils are thick. Add some tamari before the end of cooking.

Meanwhile, roast the hazelnuts in the oven at 200°C/Gas 6 for 10 minutes and then roughly chop them. Add the tomato puree, chopped chestnuts and hazelnuts to the lentils. Allow to cool then shape into burgers and dip into the corn flour. Brush the burgers with olive oil and place on a lined baking tray. Bake at 200°C/Gas 6 for 20 minutes until beginning to brown.

Meanwhile, steam the vegetables.

*****************************************************

Chestnut roast with steamed vegetables

IngredientsServes 4

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to grease the tin

1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 large leek, washed, trimmed and sliced

2 carrots, trimmed, peeled and sliced

1 large parsnip, trimmed, peeled and chopped

200g vacuum-packed chestnuts

100g pine nuts

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tsp wheat-free vegetable bouillon powder

100g soft mild goat cheese (optional)

fresh rosemary sprigs and bay leaves

vegetables for steaming (try celeriac, broccoli and carrots), chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Take a 24-cm ring-shaped cake tin and use to cut out a circle of greaseproof paper. Cut a hole in the centre of the paper 2cm larger than the hole in the tin. Make 1cm cuts, 3cm apart, around the inside and outside of the paper circle. Brush the tin with a little olive oil, line with the paper and brush with a little more oil.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan. Gently cook the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened but not coloured. Add the leek, carrots and parsnip with 375ml water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes. The water will have evaporated and the vegetables should be tender when pierced with a knife. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Place the chestnuts in the food processor and blend for 10-15 seconds until roughly chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add the vegetables, pine nuts, parsley, thyme, rosemary and bouillon powder. Mix well and spoon half the mixture into the prepared ring mould, pressing down well. Dot with half the cheese, if using, and then top with the remaining vegetable mixture. Dot with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes.

Steam your chosen vegetables.

Carefully loosen the chestnut roast from the mould with a palette knife and turn out on to a warmed serving plate. Garnish with the fresh rosemary sprigs and bay leaves.

----

steff davidson

9/29/2008 8:08:58 AM

Re: Need advice on chestnuts