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Chestnuts Made Easy BY DANA JACOBI FOR THE 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.)

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.

“Something Different” is written by Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) offers a Nutrition Hotline online at www.aicr.org or via phone 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, MondayFriday, at 1-800-843-8114. This free service allows you to ask questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. A registered dietitian will respond to your email or call, usually within 3 business days. AICR is the only major cancer charity focusing exclusively on how the risk of cancer is reduced by healthy food and nutrition, physical activity and weight management. The Institute’s education programs help millions of Americans lower their cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. Over $82 million in funding has been provided. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

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