Christmassy!
My obsession with chestnuts began on a wintry morning seven years ago.
I was living in France at the time and, come November, roadside chestnut vendors appeared everywhere.
come to me, my pretties!
Give them 3 Euros and they’d reach into the belly of their portable ovens and extract a scoop of chestnuts which was then poured into a cone of twisted paper and handed over.
From the start of the season, until it ended, I averaged about a cone a day.
peeling requires patience, but is totally worth it. TOTALLY.
Those roadside vendors were my pushers, I was their junkie. It was a beautiful, sordid thing.
As an expert in these matters, I urge you to buy fresh chestnuts. Not the pre-peeled kind.
Those things are an abomination and no good will come of consuming them.
fun fact: chestnuts are a good source of vit C
Be wary when selecting your chestnuts from the store – some may look pristine but have mould on the inside. You may like to employ what I call the ‘squeeze test’.
rosemary is a member of the mint family…daily trivia, courtsey TMBL
Apply gentle pressure to your chestnut. If it feels soft, it’s probably mouldy inside.
I’m not ashamed to spend time at the chestnut bin, gleefully fondling them like some sort of chestnut-loving deviant. Which, of course, I am.
Chestnut & Rosemary Stuffing (serves 2-3)
- 16 chestnuts (or 1.5 cup’s worth once peeled)
- 1/2 small, white onion, finely chopped
- 3 tbsps butter
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/2 tsp sage
- Carefully score an ‘x’ in the chestnuts. Bake them at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool. Once cool, peel the chestnuts then grind them until they are the consistency of breadcrumbs.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes.
- Stir the ground chestnuts into the butter and onion and add the sage and rosemary.
- Stir until it comes together as a ball then shove the ball inside the cavity of your bird or bake separately in an oven-proof dish at 375 for 15 minutes.
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This post was also shared at Pennywise Platter Thursday and The Healthy Home Economist.
Such a perfect, festive idea for the holidays – that smell of roadside chestnuts really is the best this time of year!
Thanks Jen! I really miss those vendors. Perhaps I should start my own roadside chestnut business
Thank you so much for this post!!! I have been seriously wanting to try making something with chestnuts but not sure of how exactly I get them peeled, etc.
Kenley
You are most welcome Kenley. They’re easy once you get the hang of it – just don’t forget to cut the ‘x’ in the shells. Back in the early days of my obsession I forgot this step and they exploded all over my oven…not so good.
P.S I’m planning on lots more chestnut recipes before the season’s over so stayed tuned!
OMG I miss the chestnut street vendors soooo much! And they only sell chestnuts until Christmas here! So I’ve been stock piling them and having them with soup for diner at least twice a week! I’m obsessed lol
They stop selling them here after Christmas too! It’s a travesty. I’m considering freezing some this year, not sure if that’ll ruin them but I have to try…waiting a whole year for them to come around again is just too hard
I agree! My mum canned some last year and they were still good when I went home in October… I might try that!
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More holiday YummYness from Ms. Cat at Things My Belly Likes.
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Ha! The part about fondling chestnuts really made me laugh. This recipe looks delicious and I’ve linked to it as part of my Primal Thanksgiving menu plan here: http://www.acalculatedwhisk.com/2013/11/a-primal-thanksgiving-menu.html
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks Becky, appreciate the share
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