Last Update: 08/26/2023
Recipes
Cooking delicious chestnuts
Curing or Ripening Process:
Chestnuts taste better and sweeter when they are cured. Freshly harvested chestnuts will cure in 3 to 10 days, if left out at room temperature. As the water in the nut is lost, the starch is converted into a complex sugar. One can determine when the nuts are cured by squeezing the nut between the fingers – there should be a “little give.” The nut having lost water will shrink away from the inner shell.
NOTE: The triangular shaped nuts, versus the semi-round nuts will have a more nutty and delicious taste. I discovered this while watching squirrels “working-over “fallen chestnut hulls, each containing 3 nuts - they selected, first of all, the nut in the middle of the 3-nut hull, which is triangular shaped.
At the chestnut roasting station are Randy Smith, Lee Waybright, Eric Bautista, and Linda Huggins.
To Prepare Fresh Chestnuts For Roasting: start with heavy, glossy nuts with firm, smooth shells. Cut a small cross on one side of each shell to let steam escape as the nuts roast and to make them easier to peel afterward. Place chestnuts in a shallow roasting pan; sprinkle with water. Roast in 400°F oven for 25 to 20 minutes. Wrap hot chestnuts in towel and squeeze to crush the shells. Keep nuts wrapped for 5 minutes before removing the hard outer shell and the brown skin inside, being wary of burning your fingers. OR grill them on an open fire for 20 minutes after piercing them and soaking in water 5-10 minutes. One pound of fresh chestnuts equals about two cups when shelled.
1. Pierce the chestnut shells and soak in water for 5 -10 minutes
2. Place in pre-heated oven at 325’F. for 20 minutes
3. OR, place on top of stove under medium heat in a flat pan with ¼ inch of water for 20 minutes, until water evaporates
4. OR boil them for 12 – 15 minutes
5. OR grill them on an open fire for 20 minutes after piercing them and soaking in water 5-10 minutes.
6. OR microwave nuts on High setting for 30 seconds. Cool, peel, eat. Vary cooking time to suit, overcooking will dry the nut and make it rubbery. Always score with an X to prevent nuts from exploding.