Chestnuts For The Holidays

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Chestnuts For The Holidays Roasting chestnuts is often a tradition
during the holidays. Storage conditions have to be just right, not  too
dry and not too damp. In dry air, they dry out and lose quality.  In
warm, damp air, they mold. Store fresh chestnuts in the  refrigerator
in a plastic bag with a few ventilation holes punched in  it. Chestnuts
can be cooked by roasting, boiling or steaming. To  roast over an open
fire, use a long handled popcorn popper or  chestnut roaster. To roast
in an oven, try a temperature of 300  degrees Fahrenheit for about 15
minutes. Before roasting, puncture  each nut once or twice with an
icepick or a knife. If you fail to do  this, pressure from steam
building up inside the shells will cause  the nuts to explode, either
before or after they come out of the oven  or roaster. To boil
chestnuts, place them in a shallow pan with water  that just covers
them. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and boil  gently for 15 to 20
minutes. Drain and partially cool, then remove  the kernels using a
sharp tine of a table fork. The longer the nuts  cook, the mealier the
kernels become and tend to crumble when removed  from the shells. For
especially dry chestnuts, soak them overnight in  water before boiling
in fresh water. For steaming, carefully cut  fresh, moist chestnuts in
half and cook them in a vegetable steamer  over boiling water for 8 to
10 minutes. Most kernels should fall out  of the shells during cooking.
Steamed or boiled nuts can be dipped in  melted butter and salted, if
desired, or used in other recipes. Store  cooked chestnuts in tightly
sealed jars in the refrigerator for a  month or two or in the freezer
for up to a year. (MJM) Recipe By  : USDA Extension Service (Becky
Myton)  Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #244  Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996
08:30:54 -0400  From: "Sharon L. Nardo" <snardo@onramp.net>

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