Bringing back sweet sweet memories.
Chestnuts have always held a special little place in my heart; and so I'm excited to share this little treat with you.
Let's go back to when I was younger.
I used to climb a chestnut tree with my best friend after school. We would sit on the branches in the warm autumn weather and spend hours talking. We spent every single day there after school; it was our favourite place; and we guarded it fiercely. We wouldn't let anyone else climb the tree (I swear we were nice), without first earning their way. There was no easy way up, you had to jump and pull yourself up to the first tree split in order to be able to climb. We thought it was a right of passage...
When jumping down, we'd have to be careful as to not land on the spiky outsides of the precious nuts. Trust me - barefoot - it hurt.
A couple of years ago, on a family trip to Vienna, I went to my first real Christmas Market. It was absolutely gorgeous. Ottawa tried to recreate their own this year, but I'm afraid it just wasn't the same.
Anyways - back to Vienna -
At the Venetian market, there were vendors standing behind large open drums, called Maronistands, on which the chestnuts were roasted. This, along with the other food stands, was my favourite part of the market. No shocker there.
Maroni (which are roasted chestnuts) are a popular snack in the winter in Vienna. They're sold on street corners and at markets from the so-called Maronistand. Typically, a Maronistand also sells roast potato slices (German: Bratkartoffel), potato wedges and potato puffs (German: Kartoffelpuffer).
To be honest, the Bratkartoffel was not that great - I wanted there to be a little more salt, and I wish that the potato had been crispier.. but it made for a good picture.
This all brings us to last weekend, when I spotted them at the grocery store; and all of those feelings rushed back. I just HAD to have them. Which brings us to why I am sitting here, writing this post.
I think that this is a quintessential festive food - The holidays would not be the holidays without them. So, I would like to share this little slice of joy with you, and show you how to roast chestnuts.
What do you need to make roasted chestnuts?
Chestnuts! Well... duh. You can use as many chestnuts as you like. When you buy them, make sure they are firm to the touch.
Water. Yes. Water - We are going to boil them before we bake.
And then, as far as accessories are concerned, you're going to need a cutting board, a sharp serrated knife, a large pot and a baking sheet/pan/tray.
When buying chestnuts, look for chestnuts that:
have a glossy look;
are unblemished;
are firm to the touch; and
feel heavy for their size
It's best to roast the chestnuts within 2-3 days; as the freshness will not last very long, even if refrigerated. If you discover any moldy or bad chestnuts, they will need to be discarded. Unfortunately, you'll only find this out once they've been roasted and removed from their shell.
A word of caution…
When chestnuts come out of the oven (or from a Maronistand), they are exceptionally hot. So please be careful!
EASY PEAZY OVEN ROASTED CHESTNUTS
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
10oz chestnuts - or however many you want to roast. There's no "right" amount.
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 425°F. Make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle.
Lay the chestnut flat on your cutting board. With a serrated knife, make a lengthwise slit down the entire middle surface, on the long side. When doing this, make sure you hold down the chestnut firmly on the cutting board (the outer shell is very slippery).
Make sure that the incision cuts through the inner skin of the chestnuts. This is important because it allows the steam to escape from the nut as it is being heated. If the chestnuts are not properly scored, they can explode in the oven (which we don't want).
Place the chestnuts in a pot with cold water. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove the chestnuts and place them on a shallow baking pan. This creates the perfect environment for steam once they hit the hot oven.
Place the chestnuts with the flat side down, the cut side up in a single layer in your baking pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Time may vary based on the size of the chestnuts. The shells will split open as they roast; but the only way to know if they are cooked through is by eating one of the roasted chestnuts.
Remove from the oven and wrap them in a clean tea towel. Allow the wrapped chestnuts to sit in the towel for about 10-15 minutes.
Serve warm and enjoy!
NOTES
These are best when warm. If you want to save them for later, I recommend taking them out of the shells, so that they're easier to remove.
If you have any leftover, you can peel them and refrigerate them for a couple of days. Peeled chestnuts can also be frozen.
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