Recipe - Chestnuts For The Holidays

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Chestnuts For The Holidays Roasting chestnuts is often a tradition during
the holidays. Storage conditions have to be just right, not too dry and not
too damp. In dry air, they dry out and lose quality. In warm, damp air,
they mold. Store fresh chestnuts in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with
a few ventilation holes punched in it. Chestnuts can be cooked by roasting,
boiling or steaming. To roast over an open fire, use a long handled popcorn
popper or chestnut roaster. To roast in an oven, try a temperature of 300
degrees Fahrenheit for about
15 minutes. Before roasting, puncture each nut once or twice with
an icepick or a knife. If you fail to do this, pressure from steam building
up inside the shells will cause the nuts to explode, either before or after
they come out of the oven or roaster. To boil chestnuts, place them in a
shallow pan with water that just covers them. Bring to a boil, reduce the
heat and boil gently for 15 to
20 minutes. Drain and partially cool, then remove the kernels using
a sharp tine of a table fork. The longer the nuts cook, the mealier the
kernels become and tend to crumble when removed from the shells. For
especially dry chestnuts, soak them overnight in water before boiling in
fresh water. For steaming, carefully cut fresh, moist chestnuts in half and
cook them in a vegetable steamer over boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes.
Most kernels should fall out of the shells during cooking. Steamed or
boiled nuts can be dipped in melted butter and salted, if desired, or used
in other recipes. Store cooked chestnuts in tightly sealed jars in the
refrigerator for a month or two or in the freezer for up to a year. (MJM)
Recipe By : USDA Extension Service (Becky Myton)

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #244

Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 08:30:54 0400

From: "Sharon L. Nardo" snardo@onramp.net