I’m Back with Recipes & the Answer…
Hello Everyone,
Thank you all for taking the time to guess what the image is of and yes, it is chestnuts. A job well done! I thought, being the holiday season and the perfect time for eating chestnuts, that I would share with you two recipes rather than just one, so here is a recipe for roasted chestnuts in red wine, as well as Both are quick and delicious. Buon Appetito!
Roasted Chestnuts in Red Wine
Serves 6
1 pound plump fresh chestnuts, in the shell
1 cup or so good red or white wine
First pan-roast the chestnuts. Cut a short slit or cross in the shell of each chestnut, and scatter them all in a heavy skillet, on that has a good cover, and is big enough for the nuts to roll around in one layer. Pour in a cup of water, cover the pan, turn the flame on high, and cook for 5 minutes or more, shaking the pan frequently, until all the water is evaporated. Check whether the shells have started to peel open; if they haven’t, add more water and steam a bit longer.
Next lower the heat and slowly roast the chestnuts in the dry pan, with the cover still on, for about 15 to 20 minutes. Shake the pan every minute or two so the nuts roll around and don’t burn. When the shells are toasted and the nut meats are tender, turn off the heat douse with half the wine.
Meanwhile, put a clean absorbent cloth (like an old table napkin) in a wide, shallow bowl or baking dish. Dump the chestnuts into the towel and drizzle with the remaining wine. Cover the chestnuts with the wet cloth while they’re still hot. Let the chestnuts absorb the wine for about 10 to 15 minutes before peeling and devouring them!
Butter, Dried Chestnut, and Fresh Rosemary Sauce
For one pound of pasta
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped dried chestnuts, reconstituted and cooked in boiling water, then chopped or pulsed to small bits in the food processor
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles
Hot water from the pasta-cooking pot
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano or Grana Padano
Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the skillet set over medium- high heat until sizzling; drop in the chopped chestnuts: toast and stir for a minute.
Scatter in the rosemary needles and cook another minute or so, until the nuts are lightly colored.
Ladle in 1-1/2 cups of pasta cooking water; cook rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes, reducing the liquid by half; keep at a low simmer until the pasta is ready.
Finish the sauce and pasta together in the skillet. Add the parsley during the initial tossing; off the heat, toss in the cheese and a final tablespoon of olive oil just before serving.
November 22nd, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Dear Lidia,
I recently started watching your show (family table) and was intrigued by the quick pasta sauces that you make. By the way your tips are very helpful. I also, reluctantly, started to make my own fresh pasta since you make it look easy and delicious. My previous attempts were discouraging since I did not have a good pasta recipe. However, thanks to you and some other great chefs out there, I have to say that fresh pasta is every bit worth the effort in making. My technique seems to improve each time I make it and I swear I will never go back to dry pasta if I don’t have to. A quick note that I want to discuss with you is the type of flour used. Thru my research I discovered that Italians use 00 flour when making pasta, pizza, etc. And since there is no such flour here in US, I learned that it can be approximated by combining 3part all-purpose flour to 1 part cake flour. I find this to make a much silkier pasta and lighter. What do you think? I enjoy making fresh pasta and would like to learn more about tehniques and tools used just as much as eating it. I also want to learn more about sauces type of pasta combinations, since there is a reasoning as to why pastas are shaped a certain way. I hope someday to make it part of my catering business, but until then I would like to know more about it.
Thank you,
Adriana Rocco
Howell, NJ
November 24th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Can I get the recipe for the zucchini and tomatoe dish that just aired this weekend in the episode wth Lidia’s grandsons making the foccacia?
November 29th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I loved the episode with Lidia’s grandsons making foccacia and the expressions and the fun they were having was wonderful to watch. I so am looking all over your websites for the almond recipe. I was suppose to be writting it down but was caught up in the the whole episode and didnt write anything down. Will it be on this blog or somewhere I can print it out? Thank you.
December 6th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
12/06/08 Hi Lidia, Thanks most especially for the update on chestnuts which are a very favorite of mine. I am going to try the chestnut sauce recipe for pasta. It’s simple, but, like all your suggestions, so delicious.
My first love affair with chestnuts happened a long time ago — at Christmas — in London where street vendors were selling them piping hot in paper containers. I couldn’t get my fill! My husband said if I didn’t quit, I would turn into a chestnut. It’s interesting, though, I haven’t had a good chestnut in ever so long! Thanks for the prompt to return to an exquisite product.
With warmest regards, Joan, Your friend in Southern California
May 19th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Your recipe to cook chestnuts withuot cuttig into them please as shown on t.v.
May 19th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
cooking chestnuts as on t.v