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Bursting with flavour and ready to fall.
Chestnuts are a perfect autumnal ingredient |
The treasured chestnut hoard
Autumn leaves are falling, and so are plump chestnuts. Clare Latimer beat the squirrels to the harvest for sweet and savoury treats
I WENT for a walk in a west London park the other day and was amazed how many plump chestnuts were lying on the ground that had not been gathered by the squirrels or park walkers.
Normally all you see are green, prickly casements that the chestnuts have fallen from, and a few flat, brown nuts that never matured.
I gathered handfuls into every pocket and left the park looking like Mr Blobby.
The moment I arrived home, the oven went on, and within half an hour, the whole place smelled like one of those roast chestnut stalls. My guests, who were
staying, came out of the woodwork like beetles to enjoy the feast.
It so much reminds you of dark evenings, open fires and mulled wine.
Chestnuts are versatile and can be used to thicken soup, adding that warming, winter wonderland flavour, used in casseroles and also in puddings. So here are a few of my favourite things to do with them.
Roast chestnuts
If you have an open fire, cut each chestnut and then put them all into a loose parcel of foil, wrapped well and put in to the fire for about 10 minutes or longer, depending on the heat of the fire, and then eat as in the recipe below.
1 kg whole chestnuts
Preheat the oven 200C/ 400F/gas 6. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a slit into each chestnut and then put them into a roasting tin.
Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the skins open and the nut is tender. Remove from the tin and then, when slightly cool, peel off the tough outer skin and the pithy inner bits. Once done, eat the sweet roasted kernel.
Pork chops with prunes and marron
This is a very old recipe but still one of my favourites. Some people balk at the idea of prunes, but if you don’t tell them, they have no idea!
I would serve with fluffy mashed potato and a green vegetable.
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 x 400g tin prunes, stoned
1 x 400g tin of pureed, unsweetened chestnuts
6 British pork chops, trimmed
2 tbsp red wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning.
Method
Preheat the oven 200C/ 400F/gas 6. Put the prunes with their juice in a blender, making sure there are no stones, with the chestnuts, red wine and seasoning, and blend for one minute.
Place the chops in an ovenproof dish and pour over the prune mixture. Cover and cook for one hour. Check that the chops are cooked and serve hot.
Meringue Roulade With Chestnuts
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
6 egg whites
275g caster sugar
2 teasp cornflour
Few drops vinegar
1 x 400g unsweetened chestnut puree
75g dark chocolate, melted
75g dark brown sugar
5 fl oz double cream, whipped
1 large orange
Icing sugar.
Method
Preheat the oven 180C 350F/gas 4. Line a 45cm x 30cm baking tray with greaseproof paper. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Continue whisking fast, then add the caster sugar a spoonful at a time.
The mixture should end up thick and white. Using a serving spoon, fold in the icing sugar and cornflour and add the vinegar. Put into a baking tray, spreading right to the corners and smooth over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes or until set on the top but still soft in the
middle. Leave to cool.
To make the filling, put the chestnut puree, melted chocolate and the sugar into a bowl and beat well. Fold in the double cream. Peel the orange, cut out the
segments with a sharp knife, and then chop each segment into about three pieces. Stir into the mixture.
Turn the cooled meringue out upside-down onto fresh greaseproof paper, then gently spread with the chestnut mixture, going right to the edges.
Holding the long ends, roll up fairly tightly and then using both hands, lift on to a flat serving dish. Flurry with icing sugar; chill and serve, cutting into slices. |
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