The delicious aroma of roasted chestnuts fills the streets and multitudes of homes when autumn is in full swing. We love to taste them roasted, warm and freshly made, but they are also a fabulous ingredient To be used in all kinds of recipes, as they well know in Galicia, chestnut land par excellence. Healthy, nutritious and tasty, you don’t have to miss your season to enjoy them.
Chestnuts are very versatile in the kitchen and with them we can prepare numerous dishes, both sweet and savory, use them to enrich broths, prepare cakes, custards, creams and many other preparations. These are the best recipes with chestnuts that we have published in recent years in Direct to the Palate.
The best recipes with chestnuts
1. Roasted chestnuts, the infallible classic
Roasted chestnuts are so delicious that we love to buy them in the streets from the chestnut trees, we roast them on the embers of the fireplace when we can or we make them in the oven or in a special pan, to enjoy this delicious delicacy, as simple as it is tasty. Here you can learn to do them effortlessly.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC and prepare a tray covering it with parchment paper or aluminum. Check the chestnuts for damage and wash them with water. Practice a straight or cross cut on one side with a good knife, trying to cut the inner skin slightly as well.
Arrange the chestnuts in a single layer on the baking tray and moisten with a little water. Bake at medium height for about 20 minutes, until when punctured they are tender. Be very careful that they can explode if we go overboard.
Peel them while still hot to make it much easier. Place the chestnuts in a bowl and serve still warm, with a little salt if desired. We can take advantage of the residual heat from the oven that has already been turned off to heat them a little more.
2. Galician stew with chestnuts, chickpeas and kale
This recipe is a version of the Galician stew recipe in which chestnuts are incorporated instead of potatoes and kale instead of collard greens or turnip greens. It is not a classic Galician stew but it is so delicious I recommend you try the recipe when you have the chance.
3. Polenta with chestnut ragout and cherry tomatoes
A vegetarian plate one of the most comforting that provides a delicious stew with which to accompany the humble polenta, although it would also be delicious served with mashed potatoes, rice or couscous. The polenta with chestnut ragout is also enriched with blue cheese, but can be omitted to make it a totally vegan recipe.
4. Cream of mushrooms and chestnuts
Easy and comforting, this recipe for cream of mushrooms and chestnuts is a perfect starter for the Christmas holidays but that will also brighten up the menu of any day of the week, especially at dinner time on the coldest days. With wild mushrooms, mushrooms or with canned or frozen mushrooms, it will always turn out well, and it will be luxurious with a touch of black truffle.
5. Creamy rice with red onion, chestnuts and Parmesan
A creamy rice always appeals in the cold season, especially if we prepare it with seasonal ingredients. It is also a recipe with festive airs but ideal to enjoy a relaxed weekend at home with the family, which is also very practical as it constitutes a complete and satiating single dish. Take note of the recipe for this onion, chestnut and cheese rice, and you will repeat it many times.
6. Braised red cabbage with chestnuts and orange
If we combine the classic vegetables of Madrid Christmas with this autumnal dried fruit, we obtain the recipe for red cabbage braised with chestnuts, a dish that Liliana taught us a long time ago and that since then has been one of my favorite recipes at this time of year.
7. Potato pan with mushrooms and chestnuts with mustard
Unique vegetarian dish or garnish for meat and fish, this frying pan of potatoes, mushrooms and chestnuts is a very simple delicacy that gains in flavor thanks to the touch of mustard sauce, an ideal pairing for the autumnal ingredients that star it. To turn it into a complete single dish, you just have to add some cooked legumes or serve it with eggs.
8. Chops with chestnut garnish
Chestnuts are also an excellent garnish. Good proof of this is this recipe for pork chops with chestnut garnish that I recommend you try. Instead of always turning to French fries, this side dish can be a great substitute.
9. Baked rice with ribs, mushrooms and chestnuts
The recipe for baked rice with ribs, mushrooms and chestnuts is the last recipe that we have selected for this compilation of recipes with chestnuts, which, as you may have observed, includes both sweet and savory recipes. It is a rice cooked in paella with a very interesting taste.
10. Chestnut cream with egg
Another chestnut cream recipe to include in our repertoire is this variant that we can make very easily with a food processor, or by following the traditional pot cooking and then using a powerful mixer. Topped with poached egg, poached or cooked, it is a comforting and nutritious dinner that we will also love to open any meal on colder days.
11. Leg of lamb stuffed with chestnuts and mushrooms
A great treat for lovers of meat roasts is this leg of lamb stuffed with chestnuts and mushrooms, for which we use homemade chestnuts in syrup, but which we can also make with the natural fruit, previously roasted or cooked. It is a recipe that we keep especially for the Christmas holidays or a special family occasion, to enjoy the beauty at the table.
12. Autumn risotto with seasonal products
When I made the seasonal risotto with autumn products, I included chestnuts among the ingredients. This dried fruit cooked together with pumpkin and mushrooms is left with a great texture that contrasts very well with the other ingredients. Do not stop preparing it.
13. Sweet chestnut cream
Along with roasted chestnuts, sweet chestnut cream is another of my favorite dishes with this ingredient. It is a delicious source of energy, ideal for breakfasts and snacks, although You can also use it to fill fritters, puff pastry canes and many other seasonal sweets.
14. Canned chestnuts in syrup
I remember the chestnuts in syrup that I always bought in Prada a Tope, in Cacabelos and in their restaurants in Madrid. Since then I have always liked this homemade, sweet and simple preserve that we can later use to make fillings, garnishes and many other recipes. Here you can learn how to prepare chestnuts in syrup and use them as a Christmas gift for the family, if you want to make them homemade.
15. Chestnut and chocolate casseroles
Chestnut and chocolate casseroles are an excellent dessert to enjoy in the fall. Prepared with this recipe in individual servings, it is impossible to resist its texture and flavor. Have you ever done it?
16. Chestnut cake, my mother’s recipe
This chestnut recipe has been made by my mother for many years and we always like it. With its dense texture and sweet taste, it is a fall classic in your home. She always reminds us that she is one of the ones she learned in cooking classes at school., and I have your recipe saved in your cookbook with all the love in the world. Here you have my version of this delight.
17. Chestnut puree
The chestnut puree recipe is very simple. It is enough to cook the chestnuts with milk, add butter and crush the ingredients, to obtain a creamy paste, ideal for spreading, filling or to complete a dessert forming a quenelle. Are you not wanting to try it?
18. Chestnut cake
If after seeing the photo of the chestnut cake you are not willing to prepare it, we have nothing in common in terms of pastry tastes. It is a delicious and fluffy sponge cake made with cooked chestnuts and cornstarch instead of flour and its texture is unforgettable.
19. Icy brown
The The world’s most popular and appreciated sweet recipe with chestnuts is glacé brown, a preparation of cooked chestnuts glazed in syrup that makes them very expensive in specialized stores, being considered a gourmet food. With this recipe you can make them at home, enjoying this delicacy without having to pay astronomical prices.
With all these proposals, surely when you feel like cooking with this ingredient you will have many ideas. And now, Which of these recipes with chestnuts have you craved to start cooking?
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