| Missouri Environment and Garden | Volume 11, No. 9 |
| News for Missouri's Gardens, Yards and Resources | September 2005 |
Chestnut Recipes
Bacon Wrapped Chestnut Meats
Ingredients
- Shelled raw chestnut meats
- Pork or Turkey Bacon
Remove nutmeat from chestnut shell by bringing chestnuts to room temperature. (Always store fresh chestnuts in the refrigerator.) Cut fresh chestnuts still in their shell in half with a hand pruner garden tool. Spread cut chestnuts out in a single layer in a glass pan containing a small amount of water. Microwave in most ovens for 60 seconds and remove from microwave. Cool slightly. Many of the meats will have separated from the shell and the thin tan-colored pellicle. If none have separated, microwave for 60 more seconds. For those that do not separate completely, squeeze on the edges of the shell and the meat should pop out. Boil shelled chestnut meats in chicken broth or water about 5 minutes or until nuts remain crunchy, drain. Wrap chestnuts in small strips of pork or turkey bacon and secure edges with a toothpick. Place single layer in a shallow metal pan or cookie sheet. Bake at 250o for approximately 20 minutes or until bacon is cooked. Let cool slightly before serving.
Recipe developed by
Julie Rhoads, UMCA
Chestnut and Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups shelled raw chestnut meats
- 10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- ¼ cup diced green onion
- 1 or 2 packages of dried vegetable soup mix
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 cup mayonnaise
Prepare fresh chestnuts according to the instructions for "Removing Chestnut Meat from the Shell". Boil shelled chestnut meats in chicken broth or water about 9 minutes or until slightly crunchy, drain. Let meats cool and then coarsely chop the meats. Rinse thawed spinach in water and drain thoroughly in a small strainer.
Combine meats and other ingredients in a bowl. Two packages of the vegetable soup mix will make a more seasoned and thicker dip if desired. Refrigerate mixture at least 6 hours to soften the dried vegetables and combine flavors. Serve with crackers and/or pour into a bread bowl.
Recipe developed by
Julie Rhoads, UMCA
 Fresh local chestnuts are an excellent featured ingredient in soups, appetizers, entrees or desserts, like this chestnut soufflé prepared by Columbia’s Trattoria Strada Nova restaurant. |