Jaime posted this:
>>My eldest son brought me bagfuls of them last year but I had no idea whether
or not they were safe to eat so we tossed them out.
My reply:
Chestnuts are not only safe to eat; they are also delicious!
Chestnuts have a composition more like a fruit than a nut. Most nuts derive
70 to 80% of calories from fat and 800 calories per cup. In contrast,
chestnuts get only 9% of calories from fat, 5 to 10% from protein, and 80%
of calories from sweet-tasting complex carbohydrates with only 350 calories
a cup! I serve them for dessert, letting everyone peel them at the table,
or I toss them with fresh fruit or add them to a fruit compote during the
fall and winter. These are not to be mistaken for Chinese water chestnuts, a
different species entirely, or with poisonous, look-alike horse chestnuts,
which have a tell-tale prickly covering that falls off when the nuts hit the
ground.
Look for fresh chestnuts in supermarkets, farmersı markets, and specialty
stores in fall and winter. Note: I donıt recommend boiling chestnuts in the
shell; you lose too much flavor in the water.
Soak the chestnuts in a bowl covered with fresh water for 1 or 3 hours to
aid removal from shells. Preheat oven to 350 F.
Remove chestnuts from water and cut an ³X² in the end or flat side of each
shell with a sharp paring knife or snip the end with kitchen shears so the
shells will peel back as the nuts roasts and to keep them from exploding in
the oven!
Scatter chestnuts, one layer deep, in one or two unoiled, shallow baking
pans with sides. Roast uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, rolling nuts over
half-way through. Or, place chestnuts directly on preheated grill with the
lid closed and roast for 30 minutes.
Drop roasted chestnuts into a paper bag. Fold the top down, and allow to
steam for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel back shells and inner
skins to reveal chestnut meats--in the kitchen or at the table. Discard
nuts with greenish, grayish, or black spots or mold.
Simmer rock hard, dried out chestnuts, or those you wish to puree, in water
to cover, until very tender, then remove lid and cook away excess liquid.
Serve warm or at room temperature, as is or tossed with fresh fruit, or add
to a meat and vegetable stew and simmer for another 1 hour to soften. Use
roasted chestnuts within 1 week or freeze.
1/2 cup serving: 176 calories, 3 g protein, 38 g carbs, 2 g fat, 21 mg
calcium, 2 mg sodium
Enjoy (even though this is not a recipe list),
Rachel Albert-Matesz,
co-author of the Practically Primitive Diet & Cookbook (due out in 2003)
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