ChestnutsChestnuts

I have long liked chestnuts and regard them as one of the quintessential flavours of winter.  Strange then that I had never cooked with them before.   Stranger still that,just as I was pondering this,I be gifted with a lovely large bag of them from my parents who had been touring around north eastern Victoria for a week,came across them and thought I might like a few.

Chestnut trees are a variety of Beech and have been grown in Australia for over 100 years. Chestnuts are classed as temperate nuts and are most suited to deep well-drained soils. They need cold winter temperatures and warm to hot summers. They are a unique fresh product more like a fruit than a nut. The trees in northern Victoria,where my bounty hailed from,were brought in from Europe and are around 120 years old and up to 60 metres tall.

Chestnuts have a sweet and nutty flavour.  The texture of chestnuts is like a firm baked potato,quite unlike other nuts which are crunchy.  I discovered that it takes a bit of work to get to the nut because chestnuts consist of several layers. There is an outer prickly green burr which is usually removed before sale to reveal a tough,shiny brown shell. Within the shell surrounding the nut is another layer –a thin,inner cream-coloured skin called a pellicle. The pellicle and shell must both be removed before eating the prized creamy-white nut. Look for raw chestnuts with undamaged,shiny dark skin that feel firm and heavy for their size. One kilogram of chestnuts will give you approximately 700g shelled nuts.  Shelling or peeling chestnuts is a task best shared.  Get the whole family to help.  It will be a whole lot faster and a whole lot kinder to your hands.
So what to do with my shiny brown nuts?
Traditionally,chestnuts are roasted over an open fire.  I don’t have an open fire so that was out.  Winter to me also means soup and roasts so I made two dishes:a soup and a side dish for a roast.  In each I paired the chestnuts with some of my other favourite flavours from winter.

Chestnut and roast parsnip soup.

Take 300g of raw chestnuts. Score the skin of each with a sharp knife and place them in a pot of cold water with a couple of pinches of salt. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat immediately. Allow to cool a little,then peel. They are easier to peel when still warm and if you keep the nuts in water.   While you are peeling them,roast 300gm of peeled and chopped parsnips for 20 minutes in a 180 oven.

Melt a little knob of butter and slowly sauté one finely chopped onion and the finely sliced white part of one leek.  Add the chestnuts,parsnip and 600ml of vegetable stock and bring to the boil,then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes or until your chestnuts are soft.  Puree the soup and pass it through a fine sieve.  Return to the saucepan,add the juice of half a lemon and 200ml cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served it with parsnip chips on top.  Simply peel long strips of parsnip and cook on baking paper in the oven until they start to go golden.

Chestnuts with brussels sprouts and pancetta

This is my adaptation of a Stefano Manfredi dish.  Take 300g of raw chestnuts and prepare as you did for the soup. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan.  Now add a finely diced onion,1 grated clove of garlic,50g of sliced pancetta;350g of sliced brussels sprouts and the chestnuts.  Lightly stir fry for 7-8 minutes until the brussels sprouts begin to soften then season with salt and pepper,some lemon zest and a finely chopped chilli.

I served this as an accompaniment to some duck marylands that I rubbed with quatre-épices and roasted.