“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost dipping on your nose” – Justin Bieber
Many images and culinary traditions flood our senses and memories during the holiday season. Few are as iconic as the opening lyrics to The Christmas Song. Italians have many food customs and treats (just ask about the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and you’ll have enough info to write volumes of books). One treat that shines through during the holidays are chestnuts. While best roasted over an open-pit fire, such an option may not be readily available for those without fireplaces or mothers that abhor having a house smell like a country cabin. This is one way to enjoy chestnuts safely without the need for an open flame. All that you need are plenty of chestnuts and a bit of patience.
Chestnuts, a tasty treat
Like a lobster, chestnuts psychologically taste so darn good because you have to enjoy it so in order to justify the work required to get to the flesh. With lobsters, you have to crush, peel and snap away at the body and claws to reach the succulent meat. The same is true for chestnuts. Food always, really, always taste better if you have to work for it.
uncooked chestnuts
Selecting the proper chestnuts to oven roast is half the battle. Unlike a book, it is all in the cover. A chestnut’s skin should have a radiant brown shine to them; a healthy glow. If it looks like a dud, it most likely is and feel free to flush it down Wonka’s pipes. And if there are any holes or punctures, let the chestnut be and move on to around to procure. In addition to its initial appearance, give the chestnut a solid squeeze. It should be firm, with little air between the skin and underlying flesh. The more air in the layer between the nut shell and fleshy core, the more mature the chestnut, which is not exactly a good thing in our book.
Preparing oven roasted chestnuts
Of course, I’ve got to disclose that the best way to enjoy chestnuts are roasting them over hot coals and/or open fire. That being said, this is a lovely alternative and less messy than roasting them in a pan over your stove.
- Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees
- With a pairing knife, make an incision across the rounder side of the chestnut. This will keep them from exploding during the cooking process
uncooked chestnuts with incision
- Arrange the chestnuts onto a cookie sheet
- Pop the chestnuts into the oven and have them cook for 15 to 20 minutes
- The chestnuts skins should have pulled back from the incision when cooked
- Arrange the cooked chestnuts into a mound on a large towel. Allow the chestnuts to cool
- Then proceed to peel the chestnuts, one by one. There is most likely a faster method to removing the skins, and if so, please let me know
oven roasted chestnuts
Once the skins are all removed, which is tiring work in my opinion, you will be greatly rewarded with a mountain of beautifully roasted chestnuts. Not only are these buggers nutritious (low calorie, high carbs = great energy food, plus full of minerals and vitamins) but naturally sweet and flavorful. I like to think of them as nutty sweet potato-like.
All across Italy, chestnuts are used in a variety of dishes. A few include:
- Chestnut and leek soup
- Chestnut calzoni (with dried chickpeas, cinnamon, chocolate chips)
- Chestnut fudge
- Leg of lamb with chestnuts
- Carbonara pasta topped with minced chestnuts
- Chestnut cream
- Chestnut fettuccine with cabbage and pork
- Chestnut mash (think mashed potatoes)
- Chestnut honey
oven roasted chestnuts up-close
