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- “Something Different”
- Chestnuts Made
Easy
- BY DANA JACOBI, AMERICAN INSTITUTE
FOR CANCER RESEARCH
Roasting chestnuts signals
winter cocooning and shared holiday feasts. Their aroma makes
the house smell even better than desserts or breads baking in
the oven.
I love nibbling on roasted
chestnuts while watching a movie with the family during the holidays,
but some work precedes that pleasure. First, you must cut an
“X” into the concave side of each nut, where the shell
curves inward. Next comes the roasting, in the oven, over glowing
coals, or a fireplace fire. Heat pulls back the opened slits
of the “X,” allowing you to pull off the double shell
while both layers are still hot and pliant - a challenge to tender
fingertips. This custom is fine for small snacks, but when a
large quantity of cooked chestnuts is required for a soup or
stuffing, for example, I use precooked chestnuts.
Today, cooked, unsweetened
chestnuts, imported from France or Italy, are available in several
forms. Avoid the tinned chestnuts packed in water. They are mushy
and taste like the can they come in. Vacuum-packed chestnuts
are far preferable. Those sold in a jar can have great flavor
and texture. Usually whole, their quality justifies their often
higher price.
Thanks to their soft, creamy
texture, chestnuts sold in a plastic pouch are ideal for soups
and meatless pâtés, or to purée for other
dishes. Often a combination of broken pieces and whole nuts,
their flavor is nutty and sweet. Usually, they cost less than
jarred chestnuts.
Bags of frozen roasted chestnuts
sold in their shell are best of all, if you can find them. Once
defrosted, their flavor of wood-fire and smoke works best in
savory dishes. Dried-shelled chestnuts, the least expensive alternative,
are found in Italian food stores and some natural food markets.
Soak them overnight, then cook like beans until soft. As with
dried legumes, this takes at least an hour. Some dried chestnuts
have a wonderfully smoky taste.
Once you discover how delicious
and easy to use they are, you may want to keep chestnuts on hand
throughout the winter, to toss with cooked vegetables or crumble
into soups.
Roasted Chestnut Soup - Makes 4 servings
- 2 tsp. unsalted sweet butter
or canola oil
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 12-14 oz. unsweetened, cooked
chestnuts, vacuum-packed, in a jar, can, or plastic pouch
- 1 small potato, peeled and
chopped
- 1 can (15 oz.) fat-free, reduced-sodium
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 cup reduced-fat (2%) milk
- Salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
- Small bunch of fresh dill,
minced, for garnish (optional)
- chicken broth
Heat butter or oil in a large
saucepan over medium-high heat until butter foams. Sauté
celery and shallots until shallots are translucent and soft,
about 4 minutes.
Add chestnuts, potato, broth
and 2 cups water. Add thyme. Cook, partially covered, until solids
are very soft, about 40 minutes.
Purée soup, using an
immersion blender in the pot, or transferring soup to a blender.
Blend in milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve in individual bowls garnished,
if desired, with snipped dill. Soup keeps up to 3 days in refrigerator.
(Once refrigerated, soup becomes very thick; add equal amounts
of milk and chicken broth to achieve the consistency of a cream
soup.)
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Per serving: 286 calories, 5 g. total fat (2 g.
saturated fat), 55 g. carbohydrate, 6 g. protein, 5 g. dietary
fiber, 313 mg. sodium. |
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“Something Different”
is written for
the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) by Dana Jacobi,
author of The Joy of Soy, and recipe creator for AICR’s
Stopping Cancer Before It Starts.
AICR offers a Nutrition
Hotline (1-800-843-8114)
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday. This free service allows you
to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition
and cancer. AICR is the only major cancer charity focused exclusively
on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides a
range of education programs that help Americans learn to make
changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative
research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities,
hospitals and research centers across the U.S. It has provided
more than $65 million for research in diet, nutrition and cancer.
AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of
the World Cancer Research Fund International. |
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RECIPE POSTED
DECEMBER 2, 2002 |
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