Despite their spikes, chestnuts are deliciously sweet inside. These seasonal treats are currently in peak season and are extremely versatile; they can be used in savoury and sweet dishes.
Chestnuts can unfortunately not be consumed raw as certain varieties contain high levels of tannin and may leave you feeling ill afterwards. However, most supermarkets will sell canned or vacuum packed chestnuts which are cooked and can be used straight away. If you’re feeling really lazy, grab some sweetened chestnut purée, which you can simply whip into any dessert.
If you’re feeling adventurous, why not try cooking them yourself? My favourite method is roasting as it preserves the flavour of the chestnut, but boiling, microwaving and using an open fire are equally good techniques.
Roasted
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Place chestnuts on a baking tray and cut a slit through the skin on the rounded side.
- Bake for half an hour and leave to cool; peel the chestnuts whilst still warm.
Boiled
-Cut a slit through skin on rounded side.
-Boil for 10 minutes, drain and allow to cool slightly before peeling
Microwave
-Cut the chestnuts in half and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the flesh is golden brown.
-Allow to cool slightly before peeling.
Open fire
-Cut a slit through skin on rounded side.
-Cook for 10 minutes in a pan over the fire, turning halfway through.
-Allow to cool slightly before peeling.
Chestnut and mushroom pasta
I know, it’s easy to just open a jar of tomato sauce and pour it over your pasta. But this dish is well worth a try; it’s easy, delicious and you’ll be sure to impress everyone with your cooking skills!
Ingredients (2 people)
- A few nests of tagliatelle
- 150 g chopped chestnut mushrooms
- 50 g chopped chestnuts, prepared any way
- Olive oil
- Clove of garlic
- 1 onion
- 150ml cream
Method
- Sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil until golden brown.
- Add the mushrooms and chestnuts and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the cream and allow to simmer until thickened.
- Cook the tagliatelle until ‘al dente’ and add to the sauce.
- Season according to taste.
Chestnut brownies
Brownies are a yummy comforting treat at this time of the year, and are even better spiced up with some chestnut. As chestnuts are gluten free, you could replace the flour with chestnut flour however this is quite expensive so I’ve used chestnut puree instead.
Ingredients (8 brownies)
- 100 g chestnut puree
- 90 g butter
- 1 egg
- 50 g flour
- 80 g sugar
- 120 g dark chocolate
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Handful chopped roasted chestnuts
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Melt butter and chocolate together.
- Add chestnut puree and sugar.
- Beat in eggs.
- Fold in sifted flour and chopped chestnuts.
- Bake for 10-15 mins.
- Leave to cool and enjoy!
Chestnuts are like the unsung heroes of winter cooking- though seldom used in Irish cuisine, they are packed with benefits; seasonal, local, easy to cook and most importantly -delicious in any dish, be it sweet or savoury.
Illustration by Sarah Meehan
