Roasting Chesnuts

[Xabia Jim]

Anyone doing chesnuts in the oven? I'm thinking I can do them just like the toasted almonds in a hot terra cotta dish. (remember to pierce them first with a knife)

I've done chesnuts next to an open fire on the hearth. I've seen them done on the steel drum in the markets. I know they do them over an open fire because I picked up two old chesnut makers in the Rastro market.
(reportedly from Switzerland?)

....They do need to be cleaned up and painted to go on the wall. I love this old handmade stuff.

[Frances]

Very cool! And I love your floor tiles! All three types (...or are the hexagonal ones out of wood?)

[james]

Count me in. We've done that quite a bit -- ever since we first started eating roast Chestnuts (on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your toes) on street corners in various cities, I've been hooked.

You can buy them in the autumn from Trader Joe's (imported from Italy no less).

What do you think Jim, they should have a charred outer skin, and be hot and tender all the way through. I have always used the metal pan with holes in it so the direct heat reaches the nuts.

James

[Xabia Jim]

Originally Posted by Frances

Very cool! And I love your floor tiles! All three types (...or are the hexagonal ones out of wood?)

Those hexagonal tiles were my mother's pride and joy....handmade tiles as you can see from the lines made by the fingers. Unfortunately they were originally varnished gold and then my mother varnished in red. When we remodeled we almost took them out or covered them up they looked so bad.....but after gallons of solvent and many scrub brushes we were able to get most of the old varnish layers up. They were then sealed with a Moroccan oil and they get a little wax in the wash liquid when the duena cleans them.

A lot of them have flaws...like footprints, shoe prints, dog and cat prints, etc. I'll post some pics....

[vincent]

Jim; for years our family roasted chestnuts in the oven at Christmas. Although the tradition has fallen by the wayside. But my uncle would put a small slice in them; put them on a baking sheet and toss them in the oven.

[Thirties]

One big problem roasting chestnuts here in the N-E USA, is the chestnuts are already moldy when we buy them in the supermarkets.

Besides making an arrangement with Alitalia pilots [joking], are there any good reasonably priced sources for fresh chestnuts in New England?

[BrianShaw]

I have the same exeprience here in Los Angeles - moldy chesnuts. Suggest looking in your local asian market - they've been my best bet. They probably aren't from Italy, however.

[Thirties]

I don't care if they are from Italy or not . . . I'll check with Asian markets. I'm sick of wasting money on garbage. Thanks.