Chestnuts for the Holidays

As I type, my parents are probably peeling chestnuts. It's not because they're in their seventies and don't have anything to do, but rather that for our Christmas Eve dinner, we eat lots of chestnuts. It's a tedious task, but they do it as a team and it's a ritual they share. (Chestnuts are enjoyed in Vietnam, China, Japan and Korea. They originally came from West Asia and have been cultivated in China for as long as they've been cultivated in Europe!)

Once the nuts are peeled, my mom simmers them in broth with butter, canned chicken broth and cilantro. Many years ago, when she forgot to buy parsley, she substituted cilantro and found the flavor to be extremely agreeable so we've made the chestnuts that way ever since. The buttery sweet results go into the sticky rice stuffing and are served as a side dish. She reserves the biggest whole ones to serve on the side and will likely say, "There's enough so that you each get X number." We savor each one because we know that we won't have them again on our menu until the next season.

My parents are into feeding a crowd so they're working on several pounds of chestnuts. You don't have to be as over-achieving as they are. Here's a recipe pulled from my cookbook to get you on the way:

Chestnuts Simmered with Butter and Cilantro

Makes about 2 cups

11/2 cups shelled and peeled chestnuts (3/4 pound unpeeled), whole ones halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
5 sprigs cilantro
2 cups or more low-sodium canned chicken broth

Select a small saucepan in which the chestnuts may lay in more or less one layer. Add the butter, cilantro, and broth to cover by 1/2 inch. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer softly for about 20 minutes, or until the nuts are tender-firm and still holding their shape. Avoid boiling or the nuts will disintegrate. When done, some pieces will be intact while others will have broken apart. Set aside to cool. Use in your stuffing or serve as a side dish.

Buying and Storing Chestnuts
Chestnuts are in season in the late fall and early winter so you may be able to get some fresh ones still. (Chinese and Korean markets are good source for them.) Select shiny, heavy-feeling nuts and store them in a cool, dry place. Use the nuts while they're still full and heavy. Or, freeze them unshelled, thawing them in the refrigerator before use.

How to Shell and Peel Chestnuts
To shell and peel chestnuts, first use a sharp paring knife to cut a cross on the flat side of the nut; do this on a dishtowel to prevent the nut from rolling away. Preheat a toaster oven or regular oven to 400°F. Place the nuts, cut side up, directly on the rack or in a shallow pan. Bake them until they feel hot and the cut part of the shells open and curl (about 5 minutes in the toaster oven, or 10 to 15 minutes in the regular oven).

Put the nuts on a dishtowel, wrap them up, and squeeze on them to crack their shells. Working on one at a time, remove the smooth outer shell and then peel, scrape, and/or cut off the papery inner brown skin. Use the knife tip to pry out skin bits stuck in the crevices. It's okay if a nut breaks during peeling. As you work, keep unpeeled nuts warm in the dishtowel so the shells remain pliable and easier to remove. Shell and peel chestnuts up to 3 days in advance and keep them refrigerated. They also freeze beautifully for months.

Comments

[Simon Bao]

Andrea, what is the "sticky rice stuffing" you refer to? Is it a stuffing that goes into a roasted bird? (Details, please.) Or some other form of a stuffing?

[Robyn]

'Chestnuts are enjoyed in Vietnam, China, Japan and Korea'

And in Thailand, Malaysia, Sing, and the Philippines (maybe Indonesia too). It will always strike me as somehow strange somehow, to smell chestnuts roasting in hot, humid Southeast Asian air.
Happy Holidays!

[Diane]

So do you steam the sticky rice first and then add these at the end? Or put them in with the raw rice when it goes in the steamer?

[Mai Nguyen]

Andrea, thanks for your tip about how to prepare fresh chestnuts! I bought a fresh bag last Christmas and had to throw it away because I waited too long before doing anything with it. This year a thoughtful colleague gave me another bag from Whole Foods. The chestnuts seem to take a lot of effort although I am hoping the outcome is deliciously worth it.

[Rasa Malaysia]

Hi Andrea, Malaysians eat a lot of chestnuts, too. I especially like the roasted ones which are cooked in these really dark-colored sands. We also use them in some Chinese Malaysian cooking. :)

[Andrea Nguyen]

Robyn, aren't the chestnuts roasted with sand? I remember smelling them on Hong Kong street corners.

Diane, the sticky rice is soaked and steamed before it's mixed with the chestnuts and other seasonings. Think of the rice as a substitute for bread in your dressing.

One of the fun snacks to buy at markets are the packages of roasted chestnuts. They're already shelled and kinda sweet and buttery. I can't resist them when they're placed near the cash register as an impulse buy.