Chestnuts, The Best Nuts... b
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yTacy Gifrfen
I distinctly remember my first hot chestnut experience. It wasn‟t that long ago, in fact it was only eight years ago my future husband and I roasted a batch of chestnuts in his oven. He showed me how to shell them, and I‟ve been in love ever since (both with him and chestnuts).
Whenever I see roast chestnuts for sale on the street, I have to stop and indulge in one of my favourite festive treats. Juggling shopping bags as I shell the hot nuts whilst walking down the street, there‟s always one at the bottom that is impossible to open. And beware the bad nut!
Poetic license aside, chestnuts are the winter king of nut. There‟s a whole genus of chestnut trees, however it is the fruit of the sweet chestnut variety that is most
edible and has been an important food stuff throughout history. Whilst they taste completely indulgent, they are the lowest in calories and fats of all nuts [180 calories,
2.74g fat per 100 g]. Chestnuts are high in carbohydrates, balanced in proteins and are an excellent source of trace minerals including potassium, iron, zinc (important for your immune system) and manganese; they compare with brown rice in nutritional value. In other words, they're a wonderfully healthy winter snack.
If you‟re buying them to prepare at home, choose shiny, firm and unblemished chestnuts, a sign of freshness. Store in the fridge, and use as soon as possible. Using a very sharp knife, score a cross on the rounded side of each chestnut. Preheat the oven to 200C and place in an oven tray in the middle shelf. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove and place directly into a bowl lined
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