The delicious chestnuts are now in high season. Whether boiled, simmered or baked - they are onetrue delicacy. We explain how you can prepare the popular chestnuts and offer you several recipes that leave no culinary wish unfulfilled.
Preparing chestnuts: That's why they're healthy
Every autumn you can find them in the supermarkets: chestnuts. Not only are they a tasty seasonal delicacy, but they also offer health benefits:
- They are rich in potassium. The vital mineral contributes to the regulation of muscle function. Potassium is absorbed through food.
- Chestnuts contain many vitamins from group B, which fulfill important functions in the body. Vitamin B-12 promotes the development of nerve sheaths, vitamins B-3 and B-9 are involved in cell formation and division and vitamin B-6 is a true immune system booster.
- Chestnuts are high in calories and filling. The chestnut nutritional values are 220 calories per 100 g.
- As an accompaniment to hearty and hearty dishes, chestnuts help reduce excess stomach acid and thus prevent heartburn.
Preparing chestnuts: cooking, simmering or baking?
IfSide dish for meat, as an ingredient in desserts or simply hot from the oven: chestnuts are a true autumn delicacy. However, before you can process the nuts, you should boil, bake or roast them and peel them.
Prepare chestnuts in the oven
Would you like to bake the chestnuts? Then proceed as follows:
1. First, line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Wash the chestnuts and place them in a deep pot. Fill the pot with cold water and let the nuts soak for 40 to 60 minutes.
3. The chestnuts that float to the top are either spoiled or infested with pests. So sort them out.
4. Cut the tip of each chestnut and place it on the baking paper with the tip facing up.
5. Roast the chestnuts at 180° C with circulating air.
6. If the cut shell curves upwards, then the chestnuts are ready.
Prepare the chestnuts in the pan
Traditionally the chestnuts are served in onePan roasted. It is best to use a cast iron pan.
Preparation:
1. Wash the chestnuts and place them in a deep pot. Fill the pot with cold water and let the chestnuts soak for 60 minutes. Discard any nuts that float to the surface.
2. Then score each chestnut at the top.
3. Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large, shallow pan. Then reduce the heat and add the chestnuts.
4. Roast the chestnuts over medium heat. Stir occasionally so that they don't burn.
Cook chestnuts
Alternatively, you can cook the chestnuts. Proceed as if you were baking:
- Wash the chestnuts thoroughly.
- Let them soak in cold water. Discard any chestnuts that float to the surface.
- Score the tops of the remaining chestnuts.
- Then put the chestnuts in a pot.
- Fill the pot with enough lukewarm water to completely cover the chestnuts.
- Heat the water and let the chestnuts cook for about 20 minutes.
Peel chestnuts
Peel the chestnuts while they are still hot. First remove the brown peel and then the skin. The quickest way to do this is with a sharp fruit knife.
Prepare cooked chestnuts
You can process cooked chestnuts straight away. You can also pre-cook the chestnuts and then freeze them. To do this, simply let the cooked chestnuts cool and dry first. Then put the nuts in freezer bags and pack them as compactly as possible.
Freeze chestnuts
You can freeze the packaged chestnuts. Frozen chestnuts have a shelf life of four to six months. To be on the safe side, check whether the chestnuts smell and taste good after defrosting.
Preparing chestnuts: recipes with chestnuts for the cold autumn season
A hearty chestnut soup, a simple recipe for a vegetarian dish, a hearty main course or a dessert: chestnuts are true all-round talents.
Prepare chestnut soup
Filling, delicious and ready in no time: there are many reasons why you should eat chestnutsSoup in the autumn menushould record.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 220 g chestnuts, pre-cooked and peeled
- 2 TL Butter
- 120 g leek, finely chopped
- 340 g parsnip, peeled and chopped
- a shot of sherry (about 20 ml)
- 400 ml chicken broth
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1 Prise Pfeffer
- 60 ml Sahne
- Salt to taste
To garnish:
- 170 g Shiitaki mushrooms
- 4 tsp whipped cream
- 1 TL Thymian
Preparation:
- Put the butter in a saucepan and melt.
- Add the leek and sauté.
- Add the chestnuts and parsnips and sauté.
- Deglaze with the chicken broth.
- Add a shot of sherry to the soup.
- Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, covered, for about half an hour.
- Season with the cream, thyme, pepper and nutmeg and season with salt.
- Puree the soup finely with a hand blender.
- Garnish as desired and serve warm.
Vegetarian chestnut recipes for main course
There are numerous vegetarian recipes with pre-cooked chestnuts. For example, you can use chestnuts to prepare delicious sauces and serve them with rice or pasta. Or you can make a gluten-free vegetarian casserole with chestnuts and pumpkin.
Ingredients:
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 800g butternut squash, roughly diced
- 250 g mushrooms of your choice (stone mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, brown caps)
- 1 TL Rosmarin
- 1 TL Thymian
- 180 g pre-cooked and peeled chestnuts
- 250 ml soy or rice cream
- 3 tsp parsley
- 25 g pistachios, peeled
- 35 g pine nuts
- 25 g sunflower seeds, peeled
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius with circulating air.
- Heat the olive oil in a pot and sauté the garlic clove, onion and pumpkin.
- Add the mushrooms, season with the spices and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the chestnuts.
- Stir in the cream and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat.
- Grease a baking dish with olive oil.
- Pour the pumpkin and chestnut mixture into the baking dish and distribute the seeds on top.
- Bake the casserole for 20 minutes until the seeds turn golden brown.
Chestnut recipes: chestnut sauce for meat
A chestnut sauce not only goes wonderfully with the steak, but also gives a roasted goose an unmistakable autumnal taste. The chestnut sauce also goes wonderfully with game.
Ingredients:
- 400 g pre-cooked and peeled chestnuts
- 2 TL Chestnuts
- 60 ml white wine vinegar
- 1 liter chicken broth
- 120 ml red wine
Preparation:
- Briefly sauté the chestnuts in olive oil and pour in the red wine.
- When the wine has evaporated, add the chestnut honey, add the white wine vinegar and the chicken stock.
- Simmer the sauce over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Chestnut recipes: Dessert in a glass with chestnuts
The following dessert in a glass is the perfect addition to the autumn menu. You need the following ingredients (for 4 servings):
- 10 whole wheat cookies
- 100 g Mascarpone
- 50 g pre-cooked chestnuts and four pre-cooked chestnuts for decoration
- 100 g Maronenmousse
- Simply place the whole wheat cookies in a bag, seal the bag airtight and then crush the cookies with a rolling pin.
- Then spread the cookies on the bottom of the glasses and top with the mascarpone.
- Chop up the chestnuts and spread them on top.
- Decorate with the chestnut mousse and the four chestnuts.
- Place the jars in the refrigerator and chill for 5-6 hours.
Roasted, baked or boiled: chestnuts are one of the autumn delicacies. Whether for refining sauces, as a basic ingredient in seasonal soups and vegetarian dishes or simply as a side dish with meat: chestnuts can be used in a variety of ways.
