Chestnuts in cooking. How to cook chestnuts: culinary tricks and best recipes How long to cook chestnuts in the oven

If you want an unusual dish, you can buy chestnuts and fry them. The result is an original, tasty and completely versatile dish. For Europeans, this has long been both an independent snack and a savory addition to salads, soups and side dishes. Just don’t eat these nuts raw. In our country, not everyone understands how to fry chestnuts so as not to spoil the ingredient.

Knowledgeable housewives and experienced chefs claim that there is nothing complicated in the process of preparing chestnuts.

How to fry in a frying pan?

When the nuts are purchased, they need to be prepared. The edible fruits have only one flat surface and are small compared to wild horse chestnuts. Raw chestnut fruits should be stored in dark and cool rooms and pantries. It should be remembered that Teflon pans are not used when frying.

First way

Before frying chestnuts in a frying pan, the selected raw materials will need to be processed by sorting out the nuts and getting rid of bruised, cracked and spoiled ones. Each whole fruit is washed with a dish sponge.

Tip: You can check the suitability of chestnut beans by pouring them into a wide bowl of water. An edible chestnut will certainly sink, and unedible fruits will float.

Selected raw materials are soaked for 15 minutes in cool water. The nuts are wiped with a soft towel or clean cloth. To prevent the shell from breaking during frying and the product from spoiling, you will need to make several punctures of the fruit surfaces with a fork, knife or awl.

The frying pan is chosen to be deep so that its walls and bottom are thick.

There are some tricks on how to properly roast chestnuts. There should be a lot of oil in the pan so that it covers the nuts almost completely. To prevent the product from drying out during frying, you will need to take thick wet wipes (a few pieces are enough).

When chestnuts are fried, it happens that the raw material explodes; to prevent the product from scattering around the kitchen, there should be a lid on the frying pan. The burner is turned on to medium heat. The length of time when the fruits are fried should not exceed half an hour. Sometimes 25 minutes is enough.

Professionals know how best to roast fresh chestnuts. They shake the container covered with a lid several times during the cooking process. But if you don’t want to take risks, you can take a slotted spoon or a wooden spatula and use this to stir the product.

Paper towels are laid out on a plate and the prepared nuts are poured onto them. When they cool down a little, they are ready to eat. The fruits are peeled by lightly pressing on the shell. The peel that has begun to crack can be easily removed.

Second way

The fastest and easiest recipe, when you only need to fry the nuts for a few minutes, involves pouring water (a third of a glass) into a frying pan and pouring the fruits into it. When the water boils, continue cooking the product over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring. When the fruits can be easily squeezed, they are ready.

In cooking, there is a nuance about which chestnuts can be fried without water. Young nuts are suitable for this. A dry frying pan is heated, the fruits are poured into it, fried over medium heat for about 30 minutes, cooled, peeled and separated, and can be served a hundred, sprinkled with a pinch of sugar or salt.

How to cook in the microwave?

There is a wonderful recipe for roasting chestnuts in the microwave. When the maximum power is set in the microwave, products are baked for no more than five minutes. First, salted water is poured into a special bowl for the microwave oven, and the chestnuts must be cut on the sides before being roasted.

You can fry nuts effectively by stirring them every minute and a half during the process. To get tasty, perfectly prepared products, you need to know how to fry healthy chestnuts at home according to the rules.

How to roast in the oven?

You should take into account the specifics of how to roast chestnuts in the oven. The stove needs to be heated to 210 degrees. The cuts in the fruit are made cross-shaped, as deep as possible, and on the flat side. This is necessary for steam to escape.

Corn or sunflower oil is used to lubricate the sheet. The nuts are placed in one row in the middle of the baking sheet, with the cuts facing up. The chestnuts are sprinkled using clean water. The fruits are baked for 15 to 20 minutes, during which time they should soften. After every two minutes, you will need to move the product to prevent burning. The oven turns off when the chestnut shells begin to crack.

The fruits should cool down within three minutes. To properly remove the shell, wrap each specimen in a cotton towel, press on the fruit and wait about five minutes, then remove the peel. The inner shell is also taken out and removed.

Peel the chestnuts within a ten-minute period of time after the end of frying, while the beans are still warm. Later, the shell hardens, and manipulation will no longer be so easy.

Nuts that cannot be peeled are re-roasted in the oven for five minutes and tried to be peeled. They cannot be split with a knife.

After peeling the nuts, you can add a few cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, a little arugula and hard, undercooked pasta.

How to fry in an air fryer?

There are many recipes for frying chestnuts at home. In an air fryer you can roast chestnuts just like in an oven. The taste of the nuts is approximately the same as that of baked ones. Beans with half-centimeter or centimeter cuts are laid out on a sheet and in a special pan. The temperature of the device should be set to 180 degrees. Frying will take about half an hour.

If you scatter the fruits onto the bottom rack of the air fryer over foil and cover the top rack with foil, you get the effect of a double boiler.

Among all the products, there is one of the oldest, which is still used today - chestnuts, the recipes for which can be quickly figured out even by an inexperienced housewife.

Chestnut fruits have a wonderful aroma and unique taste, thanks to which the popularity of the nut has remained to this day. It is also worth noting that chestnut is the only nut that contains vitamin C, glucose, fructose, iron, and potassium.

Is it possible or not to eat raw chestnuts?

It is very easy to prepare chestnuts at home, because there are many recipes for boiled and fried fruits. For those who are wondering whether it is possible to eat chestnuts raw, any specialist will answer positively. To eat chestnuts raw, they need to be peeled. However, it should be remembered that raw chestnuts do not have the pleasant taste and aroma that the nut has when properly prepared.

Boiled chestnuts

Compound

• 400 g chestnuts;
• 1 glass of milk;
• 1 tbsp. l. flour;
• salt, sugar to taste;
• 2 tbsp. l. butter.

Preparation

1. Peel the chestnuts and rinse with water.
2. Place the fruits in a saucepan.
3. Pour in milk.
4. Place on medium heat.
5. When the milk boils, cook the chestnuts for 35 minutes with the lid closed.
6. Mix flour with butter.
7. Add to chestnuts.
8. Mix thoroughly.
9. Remove from heat and serve.

Methods for cooking chestnuts

Not everyone knows how to cook chestnuts at home, much less how to free the fruit from the shell, which must be removed before cooking.

First way

Make a small cut on the flat side of the nut, put it in boiling water, cook for 5 minutes. Remove the chestnut from the boiling water, remove the shell and film. If the film and shell are not removed, the fruit will acquire a bitter taste. Place chestnuts in a saucepan, add cold water and cook for 15 minutes. How do you eat chestnuts prepared according to this recipe? You can eat them with butter as an independent dish or as one of the ingredients in a salad or side dish. If chestnuts were boiled for soup or meat dishes, then dill with spices should be added to the water during cooking.

Second way

Score the chestnuts on one side. Place all the nuts on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Keep in the oven until the shell bursts. Peel the shells with film, place the peeled nuts in boiling water, cook for 15 minutes. With this method of cooking, chestnuts must be used immediately, because they quickly dry out and lose their taste. If you know how to cook chestnuts correctly, you can prepare a very tasty dish.

What can be prepared from boiled chestnuts:

• salad;
• roast;
• souffle;
• pudding;
• component for jam, confectionery;
• can be consumed as an independent dish in the form of puree or porridge.

Chestnut pudding

Compound

• 1 cup peeled chestnuts;
• 60 g sugar;
• 0.5 l of milk;
• 30 g butter;
• 60 g flour;
• 3 eggs;
• breadcrumbs.

Preparation

1. Place chestnuts with milk in a saucepan.
2. Cook until the fruits soften.
3. Make chestnut puree, add sugar and milk.
4. Mix butter and flour, add to puree.
5. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
6. Beat the eggs.
7. Mix them with puree.
8. Grease a baking sheet with oil and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
9. Post the prepared mass.
10. Place in the oven for 45 minutes.
11. Serve with jam or sweet sauce.

Roasted chestnuts

For those who do not know how to cook chestnuts in a frying pan or are cooking them for the first time, there is a method that demonstrates how to cook roasted chestnuts, the recipe for cooking in a frying pan is very simple.

Compound

• 500 g nuts;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• salt, spices to taste.

Preparation

1. Cut each chestnut.
2. Grease a frying pan with oil and heat it up.
3. Place chestnuts in a heated frying pan.
4. Cover with a lid.
5. Fry for no more than 15 minutes over medium heat.
6. Stir the chestnuts occasionally.
7. The nuts will be ready when a specific smell appears.
8. Peel the fruits from the shell.
9. Add spices, salt.

Knowing how to cook chestnuts in a frying pan, you can make a delicious independent dish without a significant investment of time.

Other cooking methods

There is another roasting method that demonstrates how to cook chestnuts in the oven. One of the disadvantages of this method is time - on average you need to spend 30 minutes. Chestnuts are baked in the oven at a temperature of 240 degrees. All you have to do is make cuts on the nuts, grease a baking sheet, lay out the fruits in one layer and just wait.

How to cook chestnuts in the microwave

This method is the fastest and will help save time. Chestnuts should be washed, cut, placed in one layer on a dish, and placed in the microwave. It is better to fry nuts at maximum power for about three minutes, it all depends on the capabilities of the oven. The recipe is great for those who do not know how to cook chestnuts at home, because it does not require any specific knowledge in cooking.

If a person does not know how to eat chestnuts, but has already been able to cook them, then there are many options. The easiest way is to simply eat the nut raw or cooked. They are a tasty and very healthy product even without any manipulation or additives.

Having learned how to cook chestnuts, you can think about what original thing to serve it with, then a meat dish would be an excellent option. Ready-made nuts can be added as an ingredient to a sauce or stew, stuffed into a roll, mashed, stewed, or served as a flavorful side dish.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that the chestnut nut is popular, how to cook it is not the only thing you need to know about the product, because it has a number of contraindications:

• allergic reaction, individual intolerance;
• decreased blood clotting, thrombocytopia;
• acute form of gastritis, stomach ulcers;
• irregularities in the menstrual cycle;
• pregnancy;
• constipation;
• low blood pressure.

Chestnut is a tasty, healthy product. If you know how long to cook chestnuts, you can prepare a tasty, aromatic dish, an ingredient for salads and sauces. The composition, rich in vitamins and microelements, helps reduce the symptoms of many diseases, however, like most products, chestnut has some contraindications that must be taken into account. Knowing how to cook chestnuts at home, you can really surprise your household who are accustomed to simple and uncomplicated food.

Calorie content and composition of roasted chestnuts. Who will benefit from this dish and who may it harm? How to eat and cook it correctly.

Contents of the article:

Roasted chestnut is a fruit of the same name tree from the Beech family cooked in a special roasting pan, oven or in a regular frying pan. The culture came to us from the south of the Balkan Peninsula. Today it grows mainly in the Mediterranean, East Asia and the Atlantic coast of the United States. There are many varieties of chestnut, but not all of them are edible. The most famous edible varieties are European seed, Chinese soft and Japanese or crenate. They are not grown in Russia. They require long, warm summers and not harsh winters; they grow in the countries of southern Europe, Asia and America. Chestnuts are considered nuts, and, by the way, they are eaten not only fried, but also raw. However, within the framework of this article we will talk about the calorie content, composition, benefits, dangers and use of heat-treated fruits in cooking.

Composition and calorie content of roasted chestnuts

Calorie content of roasted chestnut is 245 kcal per 100 g of product, of which:

• Proteins - 3.17 g;
• Fats - 2.2 g;
• Carbohydrates - 52.96 g;
• Dietary fiber - 5.1 g;
• Water - 40.48 g;
• Ash - 1.2 g.

• Potassium - 592 mg;
• Calcium - 29 mg;
• Magnesium - 33 mg;
• Sodium - 2 mg;
• Phosphorus - 107 mg.

• Iron - 0.91 mg;
• Manganese - 1.18 mg;
• Copper - 507 mcg;
• Selenium - 1.3 mcg;
• Zinc - 0.57 mg.

• Vitamin A, RE - 1 mcg;
• Beta carotene - 0.014 mg;
• Lutein + Zeaxanthin - 13 mcg;
• Vitamin B1 - 0.243 mg;
• Vitamin B2 - 0.175 mg;
• Vitamin B4 - 1.5 mg;
• Vitamin B5 - 0.554 mg;
• Vitamin B6 - 0.497 mg;
• Vitamin B9 - 70 mcg;
• Vitamin C - 26 mg;
• Vitamin E - 0.5 mg;
• Vitamin K - 7.8 mcg;
• Vitamin RR, NE - 1.342 mg.

• Arginine - 0.227 g;
• Valine - 0.178 g;
• Histidine - 0.088 g;
• Isoleucine - 0.125 g;
• Leucine - 0.188 g;
• Lysine - 0.188 g;
• Methionine - 0.075 g;
• Threonine - 0.113 g;
• Tryptophan - 0.035 g;
• Phenylalanine - 0.134 g.

• Omega-3 - 0.093 g;
• Omega-6 - 0.776 g;
• Saturated - 0.414 g;
• Monounsaturated - 0.759 g;
• Polyunsaturated - 0.869 g.

Health benefits of roasted chestnuts

In addition, the product is recommended for vegetarians; it contains a lot of plant protein, which can be an excellent alternative to animal protein. However, the nutritional value of the product is not the only benefit it brings to the body.

Let's look at the benefits of roasted chestnuts in detail:

1. Beneficial effect on blood vessels. With regular use of the product, there is a significant improvement in the condition of blood vessels, it strengthens even small capillaries and protects against various vascular diseases. The fruits are especially good at preventing the development of varicose veins.
2. Normalization of cholesterol levels in the blood. The product cleanses the blood of excess cholesterol, as well as other toxins, which makes an additional contribution to improving the condition of blood vessels and prevents thrombosis, which can cause acute heart failure.
3. Improvement of the nervous system. Chestnut contains quite a few B vitamins, which are responsible for the normal functioning of the nervous system. The product also contains vitamin B9 or folic acid - a vitamin prescribed to all pregnant women for a long term, as it helps the normal development of the child’s nervous system.
4. Beneficial effect on bones and muscles. Phosphorus and calcium, which are part of the fruit, have a healing effect on bone tissue and muscle corset, strengthening them and promoting recovery. So for athletes who train hard, roasted chestnuts are an excellent food.
5. Increasing the body's immune forces. With regular consumption of fruits, the vitamin and mineral balance is restored, which helps strengthen the immune system and increase the body's defenses.
6. Normalization of the gastrointestinal tract. The fruits contain water and dietary fiber, which help normalize the digestion process. In addition, chestnuts have a slight astringent effect, which helps get rid of intestinal disorders such as diarrhea, colitis, etc.
7. Increased stamina. Another reason why roasted chestnuts can become a favorite snack for athletes is to increase the body's endurance. The substances that make up the fruit relieve ailments caused by fatigue and give strength due to their high energy value.

Pay attention! Only edible varieties of chestnut can be eaten, since inedible varieties contain tannins in concentrations that are dangerous to humans. But for the treatment of certain diseases, inedible ones are often even more effective.

Contraindications and harms of roasted chestnuts

Unfortunately, often girls who are on a diet and learn that chestnut is a low-calorie nut begin to eat it in considerable quantities. However, a low-calorie nut does not equal a low-calorie product. Still, its energy value is almost 250 kilocalories, and therefore it must be consumed in healthy quantities.

Otherwise, for a healthy person there are no contraindications for the use of fruits. But if you have certain health problems, it is advisable to consult a doctor before introducing the product into your diet.

People suffering from severe diseases of the digestive and cardiovascular systems, as well as blood, should take special care when consuming it. The product is completely prohibited for diabetics and for diseases that may be accompanied by bleeding.

Allergy sufferers, pregnant and lactating women and children should carefully monitor the body's reaction when introducing chestnut into the diet. In case of individual intolerance to the components of the product, one or another unpleasant symptoms may occur.

Let's repeat it again! Everyone should absolutely not eat inedible chestnuts!

How to cook roasted chestnuts

On the streets they are cooked on special frying pans. However, if you happen to have raw fruits in your hands and you need to cook roasted chestnuts at home yourself, an ordinary frying pan will do just fine.

The recipe is quite simple, but let's look at it step by step:

• Cut the dark brown shell crosswise on each side - if this is not done, they will begin to “explode” during the heat treatment process.
• Place the chestnuts in the pan so that they do not turn out dry, cover them on top with a damp cotton cloth or napkin.
• Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally and remembering to moisten the napkin with water if it is dry.
• A sign of readiness is the bursting shell.

Everyone describes the taste of roasted chestnuts very differently, some say that it is not very pronounced and is somewhat reminiscent of boiled potatoes, while others detect distinct sweet and nutty notes.

Well, when you taste the chestnuts, you can choose additives to suit your taste, which can be very different, from salt and vegetable oil to chocolate glaze. In Europe they simply love nuts in sweet sauces!

Recipes with roasted chestnuts

Let's look at several options for using roasted chestnuts in recipes:

1. Chestnut puree soup. Boil any meat broth (500 ml) in a saucepan, add chopped celery (1 stalk). Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the roasted chestnuts, bring the soup to a boil, then remove from the heat, cool slightly and purée it with a blender. Heat the butter (1 tablespoon) in a frying pan and fry the flour (1 tablespoon) in it, add it to the soup. Bring it to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, heat the cream (100 ml) and pour into the soup, bring to the boil again and remove from heat. Serve the soup with croutons.
2. Pork with figs. Cut the pork (500 grams) into portions. Place in a marinade of dry white wine (250 ml), chopped garlic (2 cloves), salt and pepper (to taste). The meat should be allowed to soak in the marinade overnight, if there is no time, at least an hour. Fry finely chopped onion (1 piece) in vegetable oil, add meat along with marinade and any meat broth (250 ml). Close the lid and simmer for an hour. Add chestnuts (2 handfuls), chopped figs (4 pieces) and orange zest (from half an orange), simmer for another 5 minutes.
3. Pumpkin with chestnuts. Peel the pumpkin (700 grams), remove the seeds, cut into cubes approximately 2x2 centimeters. Finely chop the garlic (3 cloves) and coarsely chop the bacon strips (10-12 pieces). Heat butter (50 grams) in a deep frying pan, fry the bacon, add pumpkin to it and simmer for 10 minutes. Add garlic, chestnuts (20-30 pieces), thyme (a couple of sprigs) and water (2 tablespoons), simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. . Mash chestnuts (80 grams) with a fork or puree in a blender (you can add a little water if the blender does not take dry ones), add cocoa (1 tablespoon), sugar (3 tablespoons), vodka (2 tablespoons) and beat until creamy. . Separately, whip heavy cream (150 ml), put it in the refrigerator. Also, separately beat the whites (2 pieces) into a thick foam. First add cold cream to the chestnuts, then the whites. Mix thoroughly, transfer the dessert into bowls and refrigerate for 2 hours. When serving, decorate with berries and fruits.
5. Chestnuts in Ceven style. Heat butter (150 grams) in a frying pan, add chestnuts (600 grams) and sprinkle with sugar to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, the fruits should caramelize. This is a traditional French way of preparing chestnuts, in this form they are served with slices of fresh pear and... fried sausages.

Despite the fact that it is the only low-calorie nut in the world, it is also the only nut that contains vitamin C.

For many, chestnuts resemble the taste of potatoes, since the fruit contains a lot of starch. For the same reason, flour is made from it, from which you can prepare various baked goods. In the 4th century BC, the Romans grew edible chestnuts only to bake bread from them.

The largest chestnut tree is about 3000 years old, and its trunk circumference is almost 60 cm. This tree is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

The nutritional properties of the nut are very similar to rice, and therefore it was previously called “rice that grows on trees.”

About 40% of the fruits of edible varieties are eaten in China; in this country, chestnuts are traditionally baked in hot sand.

On the island of Corsica, on Easter, instead of Easter cakes and eggs, chestnuts are illuminated in the church.

Chestnuts explode if you cook them without making a cut in the shell because there is moisture between the kernel and the shell, the same reason corn explodes into popcorn.

Glazed chestnuts are a classic Christmas dish in France.

Watch a video about roasted chestnuts:

Surely many have heard that in addition to the Eiffel Tower, numerous street vendors are the symbol of Paris. And indeed, right on the sidewalks there are miniature, and sometimes not so miniature, braziers on which this simple delicacy is prepared.

Having tried it, many tourists ask themselves the question: “How to roast chestnuts at home? And how feasible is this?” This can really be easily reproduced in your kitchen, if you have a gas or electric stove and a baking sheet or frying pan.

at home?

Before we begin describing the process itself, let's talk about where to get the raw materials for it. The fact is that the fruits that grow in almost all regions of our country, except for horse chestnut, are not suitable for food. Yes, they are very beautiful - varnished brown rounds, but they taste very bitter.

To do this, you need to go to the market or supermarket and buy a completely different variety - edible trees. They even look different from horse breeds - they are much smaller in size, darker in color, and one side is always flat. In strictly scientific terms, they are not even chestnuts, since the tree on which they grow belongs to the beech family, but we will not go into botanical details now, since we need to eat them, not classify them.

How to fry chestnuts in a frying pan or on a baking sheet?

Before you start actually preparing the dish, the fruits must be immersed in water. In addition to the fact that the dirt will be washed off from them, you can also reject spoiled chestnuts - they will simply float up. They need to be thrown away, and the remaining ones should be dried and pricked with a fork or cut with a knife. If this is not done, then during the cooking process the water with which the fruit is soaked will boil and burst the shell. That is, you will get a series of miniature explosions - a kind of mini-cannonade in your kitchen, similar to what happens when frying popcorn. But corn grains are much smaller than chestnuts, so it is better not to bring them to this state.

Another trick related to how to fry chestnuts at home is that the fruits placed on a baking sheet or frying pan must be covered with wet wipes. This will prevent them from drying out too much during cooking and becoming hard. They will fry for about half an hour, and during this time you will need to replace the dried napkins with fresh ones a couple of times.

If you choose a frying pan as your utensil, then cover it with a lid, as, despite the cuts, some chestnuts may still explode, and you will have to collect them throughout the kitchen. It is not necessary to cover the baking sheet, since these “jumpers” will not be able to leave the oven.

The readiness of the fruit is determined simply - press the chestnut with your finger. If it's soft, it's time to remove it from the heat. Now you know how to roast chestnuts at home and you can enjoy this dish yourself and treat your loved ones without even being in Paris. And don’t deny yourself the pleasure of trying raw fruits - they are also very tasty.

Just recently, this fruit, which in some places replaces potatoes and corn for local residents, was completely alien to us. Today we are increasingly looking at chestnuts- not only on European trips, but also on restaurant menus, in stores and in our own kitchens.

What types of chestnuts are there?

In the courtyard of my childhood, as in many other old Moscow courtyards, a luxurious chestnut tree grew. One might say, it was an exemplary chestnut tree: it reached the sixth floor in height, regularly bloomed with elegant candles in May and dropped weighty cones onto an inappropriately installed bench in sunny October. Hard greenish pebbles were used for a variety of children's games, but if someone had told us that somewhere they were fried, boiled and made into cakes with chocolate, we would have laughed in his face. By the way, they would have done the right thing, because that chestnut, obviously, was horse- its leaves looked like curly star-shaped paws (in a tree with edible fruits they are oblong and attached to the branch handle one by one).

Edible chestnuts do not grow in our latitudes. The closest places on the map are the Caucasus, Armenia and Azerbaijan, but even there for some reason they turn out to be small, like walnuts, whereas in Europe they are the size of a good tangerine. However, especially large ones are valued almost like truffles and are not even exported. You can meet them in Southern France, Spain and, of course, Italy, where, of course, pure delicacies are born.

The best ones are in Sicily, the simply good ones are in the north of the country. In Piedmont, in Lombardy, you can see signs on the streets warning about the seasonal fall of nuts (chestnuts are exactly nuts). During this very fall, passers-by, without hesitation, pick up the harvest, arrange it, satisfied, in their cases and bags from Furla - of course, because you don’t have to pay three euros per kilo, like in a supermarket!

Extremely rare for Europe preserved in northern Italy wild chestnut forests, where in September-October whole companies go with baskets. And mothers of families remember dozens of recipes for preparing this autumn gift of nature. You need to hurry: chestnuts are poorly stored - after just a couple of days they begin to dry out and deteriorate. True, if you freeze them baked or boiled, then you can use them for the whole season, and the taste will not be affected.

However, wherever nature throws chestnuts. One of the varieties is fragrant Tamba chestnuts- grows on the Japanese island of Honshu. In the Land of the Rising Sun, chestnuts are highly respected - among the poetic Japanese people they are considered the same symbol of autumn as cherry blossoms are a symbol of spring. Fresh Tamba chestnuts are so sweet that no sugar is even added to them when making kurimoti rice balls, a snack for amaguri beer, or as a topping for waffles sold on the bustling crossroads of old towns.

How to eat chestnuts

We also gradually became acquainted with chestnuts. Sooner or later, each of us came to Europe for Christmas and was fascinated by its magic. The winter may have been warm and almost snowless - such that you wanted to walk and walk. In the old town, around the cathedral, a festive market bustled and offered all sorts of sparkling and singing treasures. Fragrant corrugations were baked everywhere, punch and mulled wine were poured, fueling interest in life. And, of course, an integral part of this whole tale were the chestnut sellers, who theatrically operated their antediluvian braziers in the falling twilight. Brown chestnuts bounced on the iron sheets, crackling, and glowed to a noble golden hue. The burst balls were poured into a paper bag - then they easily opened, shedding the skin, and burned pleasantly. The taste was reminiscent of hazelnuts and at the same time boiled sweet potatoes, which are baked on the streets of Asian cities. But it happened in Paris, or Rome, or Strasbourg, Cologne, Vienna...

In general, our memories of the day we first tasted chestnuts are not without sentimentality. However, putting aside sentimentality, you can cook exotic nuts obtained at an ordinary market or in an expensive gastro boutique, and in your own kitchen. The simplest recipe - fry them in the same primitive way: make a cut (otherwise they will explode) on the flat side, put them in a frying pan (not a Teflon one, of course), cover with a lid and listen to how they jump there, ready to burst and present their tender crumbly insides to the world. However, the most delicious chestnuts are not those that have already burst, but those that are about to burst, “on the verge”... But determining this “just about” is practically an art. Only professionals can use it. For example, the Japanese, who roast their Tamba chestnuts in drums of hot river sand, leaving the temperature regulator unattended.

Chestnuts are delicious exclusively hot, fresh from the frying pan or frying pan. If you are not aiming for a fleeting connection (students' dinner: chestnuts and new wine), but for a serious relationship, this roasting stage can be the beginning of what is called a wonderful friendship. Using a spoon, carefully remove the warm pulp from the cracked skin and cook in one of dozens of ways.

How to cook chestnuts

For example, chestnuts can be served as side dish for roast- instead of the usual potatoes. Or add it to pilaf. Or, as in the Caucasus, pour them with a lot of onions into a bowl where meat is being prepared, and leave for ten to fifteen minutes: the chestnuts will develop a completely different aroma. And they will need to be served separately, generously sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

Good for lunch near Moscow combination with apples and: first, add water, bring the chestnuts to a pleasant softness, then, after draining the water, add the chopped apples and butter and simmer until the fruit becomes soft. Prunes and nuts will add piquancy to the dish.

Chestnuts are baked, fried, boiled, and they are also used to stuff poultry: in America for Thanksgiving, in Europe for Christmas. We are not bound by age-old traditions and can stuff a rooster or a turkey right now. By the way, capon stuffed with chestnuts and Armagnac is sold in gastronomic boutiques for incredible sums.

Chestnut is generally a favorite of haute cuisine masters. And those who like to create unusual flavor combinations. By the way, in such combinations it is perfect as a souvenir: they just brought me jam from Paris, it’s called “chestnuts and Chinese smoked tea.” It's almost unsweetened, you can't eat it with cookies or pancakes - it's just an artifact.

Friends interested in gastronomy will appreciate the beauty of the game if you cook for them chestnut soup. It does not require special knowledge or effort: to a meat broth seasoned with onions, garlic, celery and parsley, after chestnuts, you need to add a spoonful of butter, a glass of cream and a little alcohol like brandy.

When you don’t have time to bother with roasting and peeling nuts, you can use canned chestnut puree. It forms the basis for dozens of interesting and easy-to-make dishes. Mostly, of course, sweet ones. The simplest cake that doesn’t even need to be baked: thoroughly mix a couple of glasses of puree with 175 grams of butter, 300 grams of dark chocolate and a few spoons of rum, put in a mold and leave overnight in the refrigerator. Or just whip the puree together with the cream.

From chestnut flour they turn out fragrant cookies(mm, with pine nuts and raisins), but probably most of us, especially children, love whole chestnuts: gnawing on a large nut, like an egg, and with such an unusual taste - who wouldn’t like that? Our weakness is indulged primarily by manufacturers Marron Glasses- glazed chestnuts, which can be found in any French, Spanish or Italian supermarket.

Chestnuts soaked in sugar syrup and hidden in a shell made of dense chocolate or white icing are easy to prepare yourself. Even easier - "drunk" chestnuts: pour one hundred grams of sugar into a glass of red wine, add boiled chestnuts and simmer for a while over medium heat until syrup forms. Then, while still hot, place whipped cream on the feather bed, sprinkle with vanilla and garnish with mint and candied fruits.

We sell edible chestnuts in three forms: fresh, unpeeled, fresh-frozen, peeled, and pickled. The latter are a ready-made product; without additional processing they can be added to a salad, for example, in combination with orange or smoked duck breast fillet. Freshly frozen chestnuts need to be pre-fried and then used, say, in soup with porcini mushrooms. And fresh, unshelled nuts should be cut, covered with foil and baked in the oven for about 20 minutes, then salted and eaten simply as you would eat seeds or corn.
Another unusual “chestnut” product, directly related to nuts, although not related, is honey. Pleasantly liquid (does not crystallize until spring, or maybe longer, it just didn’t stay with us longer), dark brown - exactly chestnut! - colors with a light aroma and an amazing bitter taste. It is useful for kidney and stomach diseases, kills germs. There is no such thing as 100% chestnut honey - it would be too bitter; bees also collect pollen from other plants. And the more clearly the bitterness is felt in honey, the more chestnut it actually contains.