Chestnuts are renowned for their buttery texture and delicate flavor that make them versatile for both savory and sweet dishes. A staple in Italian cooking and easily adaptable to an array of Indian recipes, elevate your meals and desserts with this seasonal ‘super-nut’.
Not sure how to incorporate chestnuts into your meals? Here are some easy to make recipes to guide you!
HOW TO PERFECTLY ROAST CHESTNUTS
- Preheat the oven to 215℃
- Score the skin of the chestnut on its flat-side by making an X incision
- Place the scored chestnuts on a greased baking sheet with the X facing up
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the shell of the chestnut is peeling back around the X incision
- Cool for 15 minutes before peeling off the shell away from the X incision
While there are numerous ways to add these delicious nuts to a meal, here are some of our favorite recipes!
CHESTNUT HUMMUS DIP
A rich, creamy, and nutty hummus, made from organic chestnuts is the perfect twist to a traditional hummus recipe. Paired with sliced cucumbers or freshly baked lavash, this chestnut hummus recipe is a delight and is ideal for smart snacking.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g cooked and peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup hot water
- ½ teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine chestnuts, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, oil, hot water and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth.
- To serve, spoon into a serving bowl, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with pepper, and serve with lavash, grilled pita, and cucumber slices.
CHESTNUT PASTA WITH A CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE
A hearty, wholesome, gluten-free pasta sauce recipe with the earthiness and grit of mushrooms and the nuttiness and sweet flavour of freshly roasted organic chestnuts makes for a delicious, comforting, and healthy meal.
INGREDIENTS
- 25 g butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 485 g fresh mushrooms
- 180 g pack of peeled chestnuts
- 2 tablespoons of cream
- Fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
- 350 g pasta
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan
- Peel and finely chop the onions and add them to the pan. Cook over low heat for around 15 minutes until the onions are sweet and caramelized.
- Peel and crush the cloves of garlic and roughly chop the anchovies. Add to the pan.
- Finely chop half of the fresh mushrooms and slice the other half. This gives some variety in texture to the pasta sauce. Add the fresh mushrooms to the pan.
- Cook for ten minutes until the fresh mushrooms are cooked through.
- Roughly chop the peeled chestnuts into large chunks and add them to the pan.
- Stir in the cream and heat for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Chop the parsley and stir into the sauce. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as required.
- In a separate pan, heat water to the boiling point, add the pasta and cook according to instructions on the packet. When done, drain and stir in the mushroom and chestnut sauce.
CHESTNUT CHOCOLATE CAKE
Rich, moist, and chocolatey, this flourless chocolate cake made from organic chestnuts is light yet decadent with a slightly nutty flavour to complement the subtle sweetness and sharpness of cacao and chocolate.
INGREDIENTS
- 225 g dark chocolate
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1 pinch salt
- 125 g (½ cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 435 g (just over 2 cups) unsweetened chestnut puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 65 g (approx ⅓ cup) granulated sugar
- Confectioners sugar for dusting before serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F, and grease a springform or cake tin.
- Roughly chop the chocolate into pieces and melt in the microwave or in a double boiler then and set aside.
- Whisk or mix using a mixer the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, but not dry.
- In another bowl, whisk or gently mix butter and chestnut puree with the sugar.
- Gradually whisk in the egg yolks, then add the vanilla extract and chocolate.
- Stir in a dollop of the egg white, whisk very well to mix everything together, then carefully fold the rest of the egg white in the chestnut mixture until fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the tin and let bake for 40-50 minutes. You could do the toothpick test, but it should not come out completely clean.
- Let the cake cool in it’s tin on a rack before you unmold it onto a plate.
- Dust with confectioners sugar and serve
If you do try any of these mouth-watering recipes, we would love to see your culinary masterpiece! Tag us on Instagram @zamaorganics
