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CHESTNUTS with Katie Johnson of Focal Radio

Thanks to Katie of Focal Radio for inviting me to join her - and you - to talk about all things Chestnut!

I hope you enjoyed the chat and if you want to investigate more, then here's a summary of what I said, together with links and recipes for you to investigate. Happy Chestnutting!

Chestnuts are great and a fantastic British tradition - how did they ever go out of fashion! Terribly seasonal and terribly tasty, you can use them in a variety of ways.

At their most simple, you can enjoy them roasted in their shell, but you can also boil them, steam them, microwave them, puree them and they are suitable for both sweet and savoury dishes - so really versatile. So, for example, you can make a sweet chestnut puree as an unusual topping for your carrot cake, or a savoury chestnut puree to accompany your goose for Christmas Dinner. Or, if you are a vegetarian, how about a lovely dish of Cabbage with Chestnuts to make your Christmas Day special?

Chestnuts are so versatile, they can be used for virtually anything - you can put them in soups, casseroles, desserts, etc, etc. The limit is really your imagination. Flavours that work really well with chestnuts are those that bring out that lovely, nutty flavour or contrast with it, so think bacon, brussels and cabbage on the savoury spectrum and orange, vanilla or chocolate on the sweet spectrum. They go particularly well with the strong and smoky flavours of game, so pheasant and venison are perfect for them.

Two super Christmas chestnut tips I got from the other Delia (!) are a fabulous Venison casserole for the post Christmas rush (Braised Venison with Bacon, Chestnuts and Wild Mushrooms in a Rich Madeira Sauce); and a delicious dessert for New Year called Petits Mont Blancs, made using meringue, sweetened chestnut puree and topped with marrons glaces (see recipe for Marrons Glaces below).

You need to cook Chestnuts first and this can be a messy affair if you miss out a vital step - slit the skin before you cook them to avoid them bursting! When you've cooked them, remove the shell, peel off the thin skin and they are ready to eat.

If you keep your chestnuts in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, they should keep for up to six months and, in fact, they are so nutritious you might just want to! They are free of gluten, oil and cholesterol, low in protein, low in fat, very low in sodium and with fairly good levels of vitamin C and potassium. However, a word of warning - do not confuse chestnuts with Horse Chestnuts (ie conkers) which are semi-poisonous.

The Best Ever Christmas Sweet - that doubles as a dessert!

I made Marrons Glaces two years ago and my Dad absolutely loved it - he hadn't eaten it for years so it made a lovely Christmas Present. They are notoriously expensive to buy in the shops and fun to make, so why not have a go with the kids (or by yourself) and make some of your own Christmas Gifts this year. Make them a week before Christmas and then whoever you give them to will have a whole three weeks to eat them!

To dress it up, use some pretty wrapping and some ribbon. As it's a food product, you should use Cellophane rather than plastic as it allows it to 'breathe' - all very technical, but not very difficult and you can find sheets of clear or coloured cellophane at most stationer's or craft shops nowadays, usually for about £1-2. Tie it up with some ribbon and attach a gift tag and they'll think it's from the best deli in town!

Here's the recipe I used, which I got from the Woman's Realm Cookbook (1988, published by Octopus Books):

Marrons Glaces (Makes about 1 lb)

450g Fresh Chestnuts

450g Granulated Sugar

150ml Water

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

50g Caster Sugar

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Carefully slit the shells of the chestnuts, taking care not to cut the nuts. Boil for 20 minutes. Drain and, whilst still warm, peel off the shells and dark skins. Measure the sugar and water into a heavy-based pan and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and add the vanilla essence and the chestnuts. Boil briskly for 10 minutes. Lift the chestnuts out of the syrup using a perforated spoon and drain on a wire rack for 24 hours. Reserve the syrup. Bring the syrup back to the boil and add the chestnuts. Simmer until the chestnuts are evenly coated with syrup for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and immediately todd in caster sugar. Leave until cold and then store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Other Bright Chestnutty Ideas

While you are on the sweet subject, why not try coating chestnuts with melted chocolate for a delicious treat. I've never tried it personally, but if it works with hazelnuts, brazil nuts and all the rest then why not chestnuts? You probably need to roast them first and I would suggest a dark to medium chocolate to bring out that full nutty, toasted flavour.

And, as Three Counties Gourmet are into their preserves, why replace your Date & Walnut Chutney this year with a themed Chestnut one. We don't have one yet - may be we should be considering this for next year ...

Here are some interesting internet links that I found with many, many more chestnut recipes for you to explore (please note, I haven't tried them all so cannot endorse the quality of the recipe, but do let us know what you think and we'll add it to our new blog):

A full suite of Chestnut recipes from recipes4us.co.uk

I love the look of the Chestnut Bisque and Chestnut & Spinach Dip for Christmas. The Gluten Free Chestnut Bread for a breadmaker also looks really interesting.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I want to be just to try this starter! UKTV Food have lots to explore in the Chestnut area

These are also from an American site, but they also look really good. I fancy the Chestnut Turkey Stuffing for Christmas Dinner and the Chocolate Chestnut Filling could be a really interesting take on a NewAge gateaux (which also seems to have gone out of fashion, but deserves rediscovering).

Our full recipes database will be coming soon, along with Delia's Blog - watch this space! HAPPY CHESTNUTTING.