Cut each chestnut, put it in a pan, cover with napkins moistened with water, and fry for 25 minutes , stirring in the middle of frying.
Boiled chestnuts fry for 5-10 minutes until the shell opens.
How to roast chestnuts
1. Measure the chestnuts – they should fit in 1 layer on the pan. 2. Wash the chestnuts.
3. On each chestnut, make a longitudinal incision so that the chestnut does not burst during frying and so that the flesh is better fried. If chestnuts have a very dense peel and do not lend themselves to a knife, you can soak the chestnuts in cold water for 15-20 minutes.
4. Put the frying pan on a wide burner, heat it up. 5. Arrange chestnuts flat side down in 1 layer without oil.
6. Moisten 5-6 paper napkins with water and cover the chestnuts with them.
7. Wait for the appearance of haze and slight blackening.
8. Turn the chestnuts over, remove the napkins, fry for another 3-5 minutes.
9. Check the chestnuts for readiness, piercing with a knife: the consistency should be like boiled potatoes.
10. Pour the chestnuts onto a plate, cool slightly and peel, prying the peel with your fingers or a knife at the cuts.
Important : chestnuts must be cut, otherwise, when frying, they will loudly “explode” with pulp and dirty everything around.
If chestnuts are prepared for a savory snack, they can be smeared with crushed garlic when frying at the cut points.
How to roast chestnuts on a fire
1. Make a fire and wait for a strong fire.
2. Wash the chestnuts, cut each of them crosswise.
3. Put the chestnuts in a bowler hat.
4. Put the pot on the coals, shaking the pot every 3 minutes.
How to roast chestnuts on charcoal
1. Wash and cut the chestnuts.
2. Make a fire and wait for the coals.
3. make a small hole in the coals, put chestnuts and cover with coals on top.
4. Wait 10 minutes or until the first “explosion” of the chestnut.
5. Transfer the chestnuts to a dish and cover so that they are fully cooked due to the internal temperature.
All about chestnuts
How to store chestnuts
For chestnuts, it is recommended to use an old frying pan, as when roasted, chestnuts can leave stains that cannot be cleaned.
To taste, roasted chestnuts resemble potatoes, only sweet and with a nutty flavor. Roasted chestnuts with honey are an excellent appetizer for wine.
How to choose chestnuts
Edible chestnuts – with a brown shell, with a sharp tip, flat on one side, rounded on the other. The kernels of a good chestnut are shiny.
Store raw chestnuts in a cool, dark place for up to six months. Roasted chestnuts are not stored – after cooling they lose their flavor saturation.
Roasted chestnuts are often sold in Europe – they have a very soft texture because a fire diffuser is used – actually over the fire, in a pan with holes.
How to serve chestnuts
Serve peeled chestnuts, sprinkled with salt or sugar, with honey or cheese.
When to buy chestnuts Buy chestnuts
for roasting in September-October, when the season comes and mature chestnuts are sold at the lowest price.
The popular expression – “to drag chestnuts out of the fire with the wrong hands” – came from a French fable written by La Fontaine. According to the plot of the fable, the monkey persuaded the cat to steal chestnuts from people who were roasting them in coals. Thus the monkey waited in complete safety for the chestnuts, while the cat took risks and suffered from the fire. Thus, the expression means “to benefit from the efforts of others.”