IN SEASON
Few things say ‘Christmas has arrived' like peeling a freshly roasted chestnut and breathing in its sweet and woody aroma...
C
hestnuts are extremely versatile and lend themselves to a myriad of uses. T e variety that we eat around this time of year are called sweet
chestnuts and are not to be confused with the horse chestnut, which produces conkers (fun to play with but poisonous to humans). You can gather sweet chestnuts on woodland walks and return home to enjoy a seasonal treat by the fi re. Whether you enjoy them leſt whole, boiling away in wintery stews, or crumbled into traybakes and desserts, they have a sweet and wonderful earthiness to them that enhances an array of dishes.
T e sweet chestnut tree has taken root throughout Europe and its nuts were once a staple crop for those who toiled in the fi elds. T at’s why you’ll fi nd the addition of chestnuts in a variety of continental dishes, such as Itaian castagnaccio cakes and Spanish chestnut stews. However here in the cooler climates of the UK, our trees may look the part, but their fruiting can sometimes be unreliable. As a result, you’re better off foraging for what you can fi nd on the forest fl oor and then heading to your nearest farm shop or market to get your hands on larger quantities.
When foraging for chestnuts, look for the plumpest nuts you can fi nd. T ey should have glossy skins and be quite fi rm to touch. Once you’ve got them home and into your kitchen, you’ll want to remove these beautiful skins, as these are not edible. To do this, roast them for 20-30 mins or boil them for 5 mins. Cut their skins fi rst with a small and sharp knife, as this will stop them from exploding as they heat up.
Once your chestnuts are cooked, you can peel away the skin and either eat them whole or use them in your cooking. Try roughly chopping a handful and folding them into Christmas stuffi ng or creamy vegetable gratins. Alternatively, toss them with Brussels sprouts and pancetta for a decadent side dish, or blitz them into soups for an easy lunchtime treat.
24 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
SWEET POTATO & CHESTNUT KOFTAS
SERVES 6
200g shelled, roasted chestnuts, chopped 300g raw chickpeas 800g sweet potato 60ml olive oil 4 sprigs rosemary, fi nely chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled, fi nely chopped 1.5cm fresh ginger root, peeled, fi nely chopped 1 dessert spoon Chinese fi ve spice powder 1 dessert spoon sea salt fl akes 4 dessert spoons chestnut fl our
1 Soak the chickpeas in advance for 8 hours in 2 litres of water.
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Roast the sweet potatoes in their skins whole for about 1 hour 20 mins until just cooked. Remove and allow to cool.
2 Rinse the soaked chickpeas under fresh water, drain thoroughly and shake to dry (as much as possible as excess water will make the mix too soft).
3 Put the olive oil, rosemary, garlic and ginger into a food processor and blend for about 30 seconds until it is a salsa consistency. Add half the chickpeas and blitz until a rough breadcrumb consistency. Place in a bowl. Blend the remaining chickpeas and add them to the bowl and mix together thoroughly. Add the Chinese fi ve spice and salt, mix thoroughly.
4 Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and blitz for 30 seconds. Mix thoroughly into the chestnut mix. Mix in the chestnut fl our. Finally, add the chopped chestnuts.
5 The mix can be used straight away, but ideally let it settle for an hour in the fridge.
Heat a fryer to 170C and place a small tester ball into the oil. If the mix does not hold, add 2 more spoons of chestnut fl our to your mix. With two large spoons, form 12 large quenelles. Deep fry in batches and place in the oven to keep hot before serving.
Wild Tierra Kitchen Cookbook Vol 2 by Mark Evans, Photography by Terry Rook.
Chestnuts
Chestnuts in no time Heat your oven to 200C/gas 6. Use a
sharp knife to cut a crisscross into the skin of each chestnut. Place the nuts into a roasting tin and bake them until their skins have opened and their insides are tender. This will take around 25 mins but keep a careful eye on them – as they’re known to pop! When they’re ready to eat, peel away their skin to get to the sweet kernel inside.
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