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 Chestnuts (Castanea sp.) have been used and enjoyed
world wide for several thousand years. In Europe, chestnuts are
consumed in a wide variety of dishes, from soups, stews, and stuffing
to fancy deserts. Matter of fact, chestnut flour is the secret to many
of the fancy French pastries. In other parts of the world, such as
China, the chestnut is a staple food in the peoples' diet. Chestnuts
have about half the calories of other nuts and have the lowest fat
content of all the main edible nuts. Chestnuts have only four to five
percent fat as compared to sixty-two percent for the hazelnut and
seventy-one percent for the pecan. In composition and food value, the
chestnut, with its high carbohydrate content of about seventy-eight
percent, is more akin to cereal grains, such as wheat, than to nuts
with a low carbohydrate content. Since chestnuts are starchy rather
than oily, they are readily digestible when roasted or boiled.Because of their high moisture and starch content, chestnuts are a perishable foodstuff. They must be refrigerated and not allowed to dry out. At 32 degrees F. chestnuts will store for six months or more.
For roasting in an oven, try a temperature of 300 degrees F. for about 15 minutes. You will need to experiment a bit with the oven setting and length of time to suit your own preferences. When done, the kernel can be removed with a small fork, dipped lightly or completely in melted butter and salted to taste. Caution: Chestnuts must have their shell punctured before cooking to prevent the build-up of steam pressure. If this is not done, chestnuts can explode rather violently. A sharp pointed instrument such as an ice pick or sharp knife is good for putting holes through the shell. Boiling chestnuts is an easy method of cooking. First cut them in half with a sharp knife and boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, allow to cool and the kernels should come out readily. The longer the nuts are cooked, the mealier the kernels become and the more they crumble upon removal from the shell. Steaming is also another satisfactory method to cook chestnuts. Cut the chestnuts in half and try an initial steaming time of 10 to 15 minutes. When done, the kernel can be removed with a small fork or toothpick and eaten plain or dipped in melted butter. Served with a glass of white wine, this combination makes a wonderful appetizer. As with all the above methods of cooking chestnuts, the cooked kernels can also be added to other recipes. You can find many delicious chestnut recipes in various ethnic cookbooks. Try looking in Southern European or Asian cookbooks. Whatever way you prepare your chestnuts, enjoy them! Bon Appetit!!! |
Roasting chestnuts over an open fire is a romantic
and delicious method of cooking them, but an open fire isn’t always
the easiest thing to find in today’s modern kitchen. Fortunately
roasting chestnuts in a microwave produces delectable
results. Cut the nuts in half and place the cut end down on a paper
plate and set your microwave on roast (70 %) and cook for
approximately two to three minutes. A bit of experimenting may be
necessary.