Roasted Chestnuts Recipes

HOW TO ROAST AND PEEL CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. To prepare your chestnuts, grasp them firmly between your thumb and index finger and carefully make a long slice across the rounded top of the chestnut with a sharp serrated bread knife. Careful, the shell is slippery. You should be able to slice it in one motion. If you have trouble cutting through, use gentle sawing motions, don't force the blade down or you run the risk of cutting your hand.
• Be sure to cut all the way through the shell.
• Once all of your chestnuts have been cut, place them into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer.
• Once the water begins to simmer, remove the chestnuts from the water using a mesh strainer or slotted spoon and transfer them to a baking sheet.
• Roast for 15 minutes, or until the shells begin to peel back where you cut into them.
• Remove the chestnuts from the oven. Place them into a bowl and cover with a towel for 15 minutes. Allowing them to steam a bit will make them easier to peel.
• Once the 15 minutes have passed, simply pull on the shell and slip the chestnut out. Some will be easier to peel than others. Both the outer shell and the tough brown skin around the chestnuts should be peeled off. If you run into any nuts that seem gooey or disintegrated inside, it means that they have spoiled. Chestnuts tend to have a short shelf life, spoiled nuts should be tossed.
• Voila! You now have freshly roasted and peeled chestnuts. They're not the easiest things to peel, but these tender, sweet and fragrant nuts are a welcome treat during the winter months.

ROAST CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put each chestnut flat-side down on a chopping board. Hold the chestnut carefully and, using a sharp knife, cut a long slit or a cross in the top. Make sure you cut through the shell but not the nut inside. The shell is tough and flexible like a skin rather than rock hard like other nut shells, so a small kitchen knife works well.
• Tip the nuts onto a baking sheet or into a roasting tin and arrange them cut-side up. Roast for 30 mins. The cuts should open up and the shell will start to peel back.
• Leave the nuts in the tin to cool down to warm - they will be very hot inside. Put a board on top of the tin while they cool to trap the steam and make them easier to peel. Serve as they are for people to peel, or peel them yourself to use in a recipe.
• If you peel them, you may want to remove the inner, slightly fluffy, membrane as well. If the membrane is difficult to get off (it shouldn't be if you steam them as they cool), you can soak the nuts in boiling water for a minute to loosen. Drain and peel.

ROASTED CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Slit chestnuts: Place one chestnut on a cutting board with the flat side down (rounded side up). Grasp the chestnuts firmly between your thumb and pointer finger and use a serrated knife to make a long slit across the rounded side of the nut. Be sure you cut all the way through the shell. Then make a second cut, forming an x" on the rounded side of chestnut. Making a slit in the chestnut is essential to ensure they don't explode in the oven and will make them easier to peel.
• Soak: Place chestnuts in a bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak overnight or for 10-12 hours. (Or, see my notes for a quicker soak option).
• Roast: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove the chestnuts from the water and pat them dry. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet with the flat side down and slit side facing up. Roast chestnuts for 30-35 minutes or until you see that the skins have pulled back and the nut inside has softened.
• Steam: As soon as you remove them from the oven, place the hot chestnuts on a damp kitchen towel, lifting the ends of the towel to form a bag. Twist the bag closed and squeeze the chestnuts inside firmly (you should hear them crackle). Let them sit in the towel for 10-15 minutes. This allows any extra steam to escape and will aid in the peeling process.
• Peel: Once the chestnuts have had a chance to steam, you can start removing the skins. It's easiest to remove the skins when the nuts are hot so remove the shell immediately by gently pulling back on the "x" and peeling away hairy, papery skin around the chestnut to reveal the yellow nut inside. Discard any nuts that seems gooey or look like they are spoiled inside.
• Enjoy: Eat them plain, serve them with soup or pasta, or store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

OVEN-ROASTED CHESTNUTS RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Heat the oven to 425 F.
• Using a sharp paring knife or chef's knife , make an X-shaped cut on the round side of each chestnut. This critical step keeps them from exploding from internal pressure when heated and makes peeling easier after roasting.
• Arrange chestnuts on a baking rack or a baking sheet.
• Transfer the chestnuts to the oven and roast them until the skins have pulled back from the cuts and the nutmeats have softened. The actual time required will depend on the chestnuts but will be at least 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the nuts from the oven and pile them into a mound in an old towel. Wrap them up, squeeze hard-the chestnuts should crackle-and let them sit for a few minutes.
• Pull and snap off the dark shells to reveal the yellowish white chestnuts. While peeling, make sure to also remove the papery skin between the shell and the chestnut.
• Enjoy.

5 EASY STEPS FOR OVEN ROASTED CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°: Place oven rack in the middle.
• Make an incision by laying the chestnut flat on your cutting board. With a serrated knife, make a lengthwise slit down the entire middle surface, on the long side. Make sure you hold down the chestnut firmly on the cutting board (be careful not to cut yourself as the outer shell is very slippery).
• Place the chestnuts in a pot of cold water. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon and place on a shallow baking pan.
• Place the chestnuts with the flat side down, the cut side up in a single layer in your baking pan. Roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
• Once you have obtained perfectly oven roasted chestnuts, remove from the oven and wrap them in a clean tea towel. Allow the wrapped chestnuts to sit in the towel for about 10-15 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

20 BEST WAYS TO USE CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a chestnut recipe in 30 minutes or less!

ROASTED CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cut a 1/2 inch crisscross on the flat side of each nut. Be sure to cut through the shell to prevent the nut from exploding.
• Place the nuts in a shallow baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Allow to cool and peel off the shell.
• Place nuts in a skillet with butter and saute over high heat until the butter is melted and the chestnuts are well coated. Place skillet in oven and roast until they are golden on top. Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon.