INFORMATION: Fresh chestnuts - how to peel, cook and store them

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INFORMATION: Fresh chestnuts - how to peel, cook and store them

 

Recipe By :Oregonian FoodDay - 12/25/02

Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00

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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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Here is some general advice for handling and preparing chestnuts:

 

Selecting and storing Fresh chestnuts are in season through December. Look for

heavy nuts with glossy, tightfitting shells, free of blemishes, mold and

pinholes from weevils. Remember, chestnuts are technically a fruit and not a

nut, and should be refrigerated in perforated plastic bags to keep them moist

and cool.

 

Uncooked, they keep for 3 to 4 weeks. Cooked nuts should be eaten within a day

or two but can be stored in the freezer for several months. Dried uncooked nuts

can be frozen for up to a year.

 

Agricultural scientist Sandra L. Anagnostakis, of the Connecticut Agricultural

Experiment Station in New Haven, parboils unscored nuts in their shells (to kill

possible weevils) and freezes them indefinitely for later cooking. Bring water

to a rolling boil, add nuts and remove when water returns to boil. Freeze in

plastic bags.

 

Though weight varies depending on the size of the nut, about 28 nuts in the

shell equals 1 pound. One pound produces about 2 1/2 cups of cooked chestnuts.

 

Peeling and cooking Chestnuts are encased in a mahogany-colored leathery shell

with a bitter inside papery skin, called the pellicle. Both must be removed

before eating.

 

Wash the nuts thoroughly, then score with a sharp knife, making an " X " on the

flat side or cutting around the circumference of the nut. Scoring prevents nuts

from exploding during cooking, but take care not to cut yourself.

 

Aficionados use an inexpensive chestnut knife with a beak-shaped blade, or a

more costly imported chestnut cutter, found in specialty food stores.

 

Once scored, the nuts are either boiled, roasted or pan-cooked. Some cooks cover

the scored nuts with water and soak from 15 to 30 minutes before roasting so

they stay moist and steam during roasting. Chestnuts can also be soaked in wine.

Some Italians sprinkle the nuts with red wine during cooking or douse them at

the end of roasting and let the wine evaporate.

 

To roast - Place the nuts in a 350-degree oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

When cooked, the top of the shell will peel back and the nutmeat will be tender

when pierced with a thin skewer. Keep nuts warm, wrapped in a cloth, while you

pull off the shell and remove the skin. (The pellicle is difficult to peel when

the nut cools off.)

 

Wearing gloves or using a kitchen towel is helpful during peeling.

 

To pan-roast - Place chestnuts in a frying pan and shake (as if you were making

chestnut popcorn) for about 15 minutes or until the nuts open and the scored

part of the shell peels back.

 

To boil - Place chestnuts in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a

boil for 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and peel nuts, a few at a time. The

nuts are then ready to cook further, according to your recipe.

 

To cook chestnuts by boiling them, continue to boil in their skins for about 15

minutes or more. Test for doneness with a thin skewer. The meat should be tender

but not soggy or mushy. Peel and use as directed.

 

Preserved and prepared chestnuts, Chestnut puree, dried chestnuts, cooked and

peeled chestnuts, and marrons glaces are available on the Web, by mail order and

in specialty food shops.

 

These products are expensive, but some cooks prefer the convenience of not

having to peel or cook chestnuts. A 15-ounce jar of imported French cooked

chestnuts typically costs around $12 in a specialty foods store.

 

Fresh chestnuts vary in cost, depending on size, place of origin and merchant.

The largest domestically grown nuts are averaging $5 a pound, according to Ladd

Hill Orchards in Sherwood [Oregon]. -- Joan Cirillo

 

Source:

" http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/oregonian/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_stand\

ard.xsl?/base/living/104038893717001.xml "

 

S(Formatted and posted by:):

" BrendaAdams "

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