One of my favourite things to do at this time of the year is wander around the Christmas markets, looking at all the goods on offer while snacking on a packet of hot freshly roasted chestnuts. If you're not able to get to a Christmas market for whatever reason, don't worry - let me show you how to roast chestnuts at home. It's easier than you think!
To me, the taste of hot roasted chestnuts is synonymous with Christmas. When I was small I remember going shopping with my Mum and Granny in the cold British winter. Sometimes it snowed, sometimes it didn't, but it was always bitterly cold.
Once the shopping was done, we'd stop by the man selling hot roasted chestnuts from a brazier on the street corner, and buy a brown paper bagful to eat on the bus on the way home. I remember clutching the hot bag and letting the heat warm my fingers through my mittens.
And once we were on the bus, the chestnuts had cooled down enough to peel away the hard outer shell that had turned brittle from being roasted. Oh, the taste of the first chestnut of the season! Sweet and nutty, with a deliciously soft and creamy texture. There is absolutely nothing to compare it to.
Nowadays, of course, a brazier on the street corner would be banned by Health and Safety. Unless you are at a Christmas market with a properly maintained kiosk, there is very little chance of finding roast chestnuts being sold at the side of the road.
The solution, of course, is to roast your chestnuts at home. And it's surprisingly easy to do.
If you love chestnuts as much as I do, or if you've never eaten one and would like to experience the taste for yourself, follow my simple instructions for how to roast chestnuts and you too can enjoy one of life's simple pleasures.
Of course, chestnuts aren't only for snacking on. Their creamy texture pairs amazingly well with brussels sprouts (another of my favourite things to eat!) This recipe for brussels sprouts with chestnuts and bacon is a classic Christmas side dish.
And if your taste leans more towards the savoury, why not serve slices of this amazing chestnut and cranberry focaccia bread with your Christmas cheese platter?
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Ingredients
This is a very short list of ingredients. In fact, there is only 1 ingredient, and this is a bag of chestnuts.
A chestnut has a point at the top, with a slightly curved base. One side of the chestnut is flat, and the other side is more rounded. It has a hard, tough shell, which becomes brittle when roasted, making it easy to remove.
The sweet chestnut tree (botanical name Castanea sativa) is found throughout the UK, but it actually originated in Southern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. If you buy bags of chestnuts in UK supermarkets, you will more than likely find that they are labelled as 'product of Italy'.
Before we continue, I must issue a couple of words of warning.
- These are chestnuts as grown on a sweet chestnut tree, and not horse chestnuts (or conkers). Even though they look very similar, horse chestnuts are poisonous and should not be eaten. If you are worried about this, I would suggest that you only buy chestnuts from the supermarket, and don't forage for them.
- When roasting chestnuts, it is important to cut a cross into the shell. There are 2 reasons for doing this. Firstly, and most importantly, the cross allows the steam to escape and prevents the chestnuts from exploding in the oven. And secondly, it makes the roast chestnuts easier to peel.
There are no quantities given in this recipe. The quantity of chestnuts you should use depends entirely on the size of the bag that you buy (or on the amount of sweet chestnuts that you forage).
What to do
Give your chestnuts a rinse in clean water to remove any bits of dirt. Using the point of a sharp paring knife, cut a cross onto the rounded side of the chestnut.
Arrange the chestnuts cut side up in a single layer on a baking tray. I like to line my tray with baking parchment so it's easier to clean afterwards.
Place the tray into a preheated oven (200C/400F) for 15 to 20 minutes. The chestnuts will be done when the shells have peeled back.
Tip the hot chestnuts onto a clean tea towel.
Gather the tea towel together to form a bag, twist the top to close it and let the hot chestnuts sit inside the towel for 5 minutes or so. This allows the chestnuts to steam and makes them easier to peel. (It took me a while to get hubby to hold the cloth properly 🙂 ).
Peel away the outer shells and discard them.
These chestnuts are best eaten hot, immediately after they have been peeled.
Tips for cutting the chestnuts
- When cutting crosses into the outer shell, take care not to cut too deeply. You want to get the knife to go through the shell without cutting into the kernel on the inside.
- I find it easiest to cut the crosses into the rounded side of the chestnut, you may find it easier to cut into the flat side, or even across the pointy bit at the top. It doesn't really matter. What is important is that you do cut the crosses!
Substitutions
There are no substitutions. These are instructions for roasting chestnuts.
However - if you have a nut allergy I would recommend that you don't try this recipe.
It made me smile when I read the label on the chestnuts I bought. There it was, in big, bold letters - 'Warning, this product may contain nuts'!
Equipment
As far as equipment goes, you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board to make the crosses in the chestnuts. I used a paring knife - you may find it easier to use a serrated knife.
You will also need a baking tray which is large enough to hold all your chestnuts in a single layer, and optionally some baking parchment for lining the tray.
Tip - to prevent your chopping board from slipping, place a damp tea towel underneath it while you are cutting.
Storage
If you don't intend to roast the chestnuts for a few days, store them in the mesh bag they were bought in, in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. If you intend to keep them for longer than a few days you may like to transfer them to a sealed container which has been lined with a paper towel to absorb moisture, before refrigerating.
FAQ
Some people think that the chestnuts will peel more easily if they are soaked for an hour or two before roasting.
From my experience, I don't think this is necessary.
Once roasted, the internal kernel of a chestnut is soft and sweet with a nutty taste. Some people think a roast chestnut has a taste and texture similar to a sweet potato.
Raw chestnuts have a bitter taste and are unpleasant to eat. The sweet nutty taste only develops once the chestnuts are roasted.
Apart from the fact that they come from two different trees - here are a few differences:
- sweet chestnuts are edible - horse chestnuts are poisonous.
- sweet chestnuts have a flat side and a rounded side - horse chestnuts are more spherical.
- sweet chestnuts have a pointed tip - horse chestnuts don't.
- the outer casing of a sweet chestnut has lots of fine spikes (a bit like a hedgehog) - horse chestnut casings have harder, short stumpy spikes.
Save for later
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Related
You may like to take a look at some of my other how-to guides:
📋The recipe
How to roast chestnuts
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Baking tray
- Baking parchment optional
Ingredients
- 1 pound / 450 grams sweet chestnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
- Rinse the chestnuts in clean water to remove any bits of dirt.
- Using the point of a sharp paring knife, cut a cross onto the rounded side of the chestnut.1 pound / 450 grams sweet chestnuts
- Arrange the chestnuts cut side up in a single layer on a baking tray. I like to line my tray with baking parchment so it's easier to clean afterwards.
- Place the tray into a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The chestnuts will be done when the shells have peeled back.
- Tip the hot chestnuts onto a clean tea towel.
- Gather the tea towel together to form a bag, twist the top to close it and let the hot chestnuts sit inside the towel for 5 minutes or so. This allows the chestnuts to steam and makes them easier to peel.
- Peel away the outer shells and discard them.
- These chestnuts are best eaten hot, immediately after they have been peeled.
Notes
-
- When cutting crosses into the outer shell, take care not to cut too deeply. You want to get the knife to go through the shell without cutting into the kernel on the inside.
-
- I find it easiest to cut the crosses into the rounded side of the chestnut, you may find it easier to cut into the flat side, or even across the pointy bit at the top. It doesn't really matter. What is important is that you do cut the crosses as this will prevent the chestnuts from exploding in the oven.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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