Delicious with chestnuts

chestnut species

The nut fruit of the sweet chestnut is called sweet chestnut. Here, however, three types can be distinguished: chestnuts, chestnuts and permanent chestnuts. The chestnut is the most common: it was eaten in Asia Minor as early as the Stone Age, but today it is cultivated and consumed all over the world.

Processing of fresh chestnuts

Also known as “eating chestnuts”, they are available fresh from greengrocers from autumn. For our recipes, the peel is scored crosswise on the flat side with a knife. Roast in a preheated oven at 200 degrees (convection: 180/gas: level 4) for approx. 10 minutes. Then break out of the shell and remove the felt from the core. Then process as indicated in the recipes.

How do chestnuts taste?

Raw chestnuts taste mealy and tart, after cooking or roasting they become slightly sweet. They are suitable for soups, sauces, purees, fillings or as an accompaniment, as well as flour for bread and pastries. Muesli friends can also find them in flake form in stores.

Chestnuts are so healthy

Compared to other nuts, chestnuts contain up to ten times more water. This means there are far fewer calories in it. Other plus points: more starch and less fat, plenty of vitamins B2, B3, magnesium, potassium and folic acid.

Attention danger of confusion! Chestnut vs. horse chestnut

The glossy, dark brown fruits ripen in a spiky shell and are ready for harvest from October. Be careful not to confuse this with the larger fruits of the common but inedible horse chestnut! Their shell has far fewer spikes. If you get an appetite, you can buy chestnuts fresh without the prickly shell or preserved all year round, for example peeled and vacuum-packed.

ingredients

For 4 people:

• 150 g lamb’s lettuce
• 1 small radicchio salad
• 3 beets (pre-cooked)
• 200 g brown mushrooms
• 2 shallots
• 3 EL Balsamic-Essig
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Jodsalz
• pepper from the grinder
• 200 g chestnuts
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 2 tbsp honey

preparation

1. Wash lamb’s lettuce, shake dry. Divide the radicchio, wash and shake dry. Cut the beets into strips. Clean mushrooms, cut into slices. Peel shallots, chop.
2. Whisk together vinegar, 2 tablespoons oil, salt, pepper, and shallots. Mix beetroot, mushrooms and salads. Heat the rest of the oil. Halve and fry the chestnuts. Wash and dry the thyme. Add the honey to the chestnuts and let them steam for about 3 minutes.
3. Arrange salad on plates and drizzle with dressing. Put the chestnuts on the salad and serve.

Per person 210 kcal – fat 9 g – preparation approx. 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For 4 people

• 1 kg waxy potatoes
• salt
• 4 chicken breast fillets with skin (butcher deboned)
• 500 g celeriac
• 2 onions
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 bunch of oregano
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Pfeffer
• 400 g pre-cooked chestnuts (vacuum sealed)
• 150 ml chicken stock
• 150 ml dry white wine

preparation

1. Wash potatoes, cook in salted water for about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 degrees for a fan oven). Rinse the meat, pat dry and cut into pieces.
2. Peel the celery and cut into wedges. Peel onions, chop roughly. wash tomatoes. Wash the oregano and shake dry. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a roasting pan and brown the meat in it. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add vegetables, chestnuts and onions. Deglaze with broth and wine. Braise in the oven for about 30 minutes. Peel potatoes, cut into slices. Heat the remaining oil. Fry the potatoes in it until crispy, season.

680 kcal per person, fat: 22 g, preparation time approx. 1 hour

ingredients for 4 persons

• 1 small celeriac
• 6 shallots
• 3 small apples
• 2 small leeks
• 1 Perlhuhn (ca. 1200 g)
• Jodsalz
• pepper from the grinder
• 350 g chestnuts
• toothpick
• kitchen twine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150 ml white wine
• 100 ml vegetable stock (instant)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 5 sprigs of basil

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (Fan: 180/Gas: Mark 4). Peel the celery and shallots. Dice celery. Halve the shallots. Core the apples, cut into small pieces. Clean the leek, cut into small pieces. Rinse the chicken inside and out, pat dry and season. Halve the chestnuts.
2. Mix in the apples, celery and half the chestnuts. Spice up. Stuff the chicken with it. Close with toothpicks. Tie legs together with twine. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the chicken on all sides until crispy. Add the shallots, leeks and the rest of the chestnuts. Stew, season.
3. Add wine, broth and honey. Braise the chicken in the oven, covered, for about 45 minutes. remove the lid. Continue stewing for about 30 minutes. Add the basil just before the end of the cooking time. Serve with: Potatoes or bread.

350 kcal per person – fat 12 g – preparation approx. 75 minutes

For 5 glasses (250 g each):

• 600 grams of figs
• 350 g chestnuts
• 1 unwaxed orange
• 500g brown sugar
• 1 pack vegetable gelling agent (e.g. “Konfigel”)
• 4 slices of farmhouse bread
• 4 small goat cheeses (e.g. “Picandou”)

preparation

1. Wash the figs carefully, pat dry and dice. Roughly chop the chestnuts. Grate the orange zest and squeeze the fruit. Place figs, chestnuts, orange zest and juice in a large saucepan.
2. Thoroughly mix the sugar with the gelling agent. Add to the fruit mixture and stir. Bring the fig and chestnut mixture to the boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir while doing so.
3. Rinse jars and twist-off lids with hot water and drain. Place 1 tablespoon of the fruit mixture on a saucer and leave to cool in the fridge. The jam should be firm. If the jam does not gel, extend the cooking time by a few minutes and repeat the gelling test. Immediately pour the hot fruit mixture into the prepared jars and seal. Place jars on their lids for 5 minutes. Then store in a cool, dark place. Tastes great with farmer’s bread and goat’s cheese.

Per 100 g 290 kcal – fat 3 g – preparation approx. 30 minutes

For 12 pieces

• 250 grams of wheat flour
• 150g brown sugar
• 125 g cold pieces of butter
• 1 Vanillastange
• 250 g chestnuts
• 400 g low-fat quark
• 4 eggs (size M)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 200 grams of plums
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar

preparation

1. Place wheat flour in a bowl with 70 g sugar and butter. Knead with the hand mixer (dough hook) to a smooth dough. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (convection: 160 / gas: mark 3). Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface slightly larger than a tart or springform pan (Ø 28 cm). Place in the mold, press up on the edge. Prick the bottom with a fork. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
2. Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise. scrape out pith. chop chestnuts. Mix both with low-fat quark. Finely puree the quark and chestnut mixture. separate eggs. Stir the egg yolks with the cinnamon and remaining sugar into the quark mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in carefully.

1. Wash, stone and quarter the plums. Spread on the tart base. Pour the quark mixture over it and smooth it out. Bake another 40 minutes. Take out and let cool. Detach from the mold. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.

290 kcal per piece – fat 12 g – preparation approx. 60 minutes

For 4 people:

• 500 grams of potatoes
• 250 g chestnuts
• 750 ml vegetable stock (instant)
• Jodsalz
• pepper from the grinder
• 100 grams of cream cheese
• 2 slices of brown bread
• 3 sprigs of rosemary
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Nutmeg, grated

preparation

1. Peel potatoes, dice. Halve the chestnuts. Put them in a saucepan with the vegetable broth. Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 25 minutes over medium heat.
2. Mix in the cream cheese. Coarsely puree the soup. Stir in cream cheese. Cook for another 5 minutes. Cut black bread into small cubes. Wash and dry the rosemary. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the bread cubes with rosemary until crispy.
3. Season the soup with nutmeg and serve with rosemary croutons.

330 kcal per person – fat 35 g – preparation approx. 35 minutes

ingredients

For 4 people

• 125 grams of flour
• salt
• 1/4 cube of yeast
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots
• 500 grams of potatoes
• 3 apples
• 400 g chestnuts
• pre-cooked 1.2 l vegetable stock
• 100 g sour cream
• pepper from the grinder
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 50 g fresh goat cheese
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons “Grand Cru Édition Sylvaner” spice mixture *

preparation

1. Mix flour and salt. Mix the yeast, sugar and 75 ml lukewarm water. Mix in the flour. Pour in 2 tbsp oil. Knead everything. Leave to rise at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
2. Peel shallots and potatoes. Wash and core the apples. Dice the vegetables, 2 apples and chestnuts. Heat 1 tbsp oil, sauté the vegetables, diced apples and chestnuts. Add spice mix and broth, cook for about 20 minutes. puree. Stir in the sour cream, salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 degrees for a fan oven). Roll out the dough, cut out 8 coins. Pluck rosemary. Top with cheese, rosemary and honey. Bake 10 minutes. Cut the remaining apple into slices and sauté briefly in 1 tablespoon of oil. serving.

660 kcal per person, fat: 19 g, duration: approx. 1 hour

Roasted pears with chestnut and honey filling

ingredients

For 4 people

• 250 g chestnuts
• 1 Bio-Zitrone
• 4 medium pears
• 50g raisins
• 1 El Butter
• 2 tbsp solid honey
• 100ml pear juice
• 3 EL Sherry
• 50 g fresh cream
• cocoa powder

preparation

1. Score the chestnut skin and cook the chestnuts in water for about 20-30 minutes until soft. Remove peel and skin . Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 degrees for a fan oven). Puree half of the chestnuts, finely dice the other half.
2. Squeeze lemon. Wash the pears, cut off the top and remove the core. Fry the diced chestnuts with raisins in butter. Mix with honey, lemon juice and chestnut puree. Stuff into the pears. put the lid on. Put the pears, pear juice and sherry in a dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Cook for about 50 minutes.
3. Place pears on dessert plates. Mix the crème fraîche with 5 tbsp of the juice from the mould. Spread over the pears. Dust with cocoa powder.280 kcal fat per person: 8 g, preparation approx. 2 hours

ingredients

• 150 g chestnuts
• 200 g green spelt
• 350 ml vegetable broth
• 1 onion
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 No.
• 60 g fine oat flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 TL Muskat
• Salt pepper
• 100 g Sahnequark
• 100 g low-fat yogurt
• 3 tbsp olive oil

preparation

1. Score the chestnut peel, boil the chestnuts in water for about 20-30 minutes until soft. Boil the unripe spelled with the vegetable broth. Cook for about 10 minutes, then let simmer on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed.
2. Remove the peel and skin of the chestnuts. Dice the chestnuts very finely. peel onion. Finely chop the onion and thyme. Mix the unripe spelt, chestnuts, onion, egg, oat flakes, marjoram and nutmeg. Spice up.
3. Mix the quark and yoghurt until creamy. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Shape the green spelled mixture into patties. heat oil. Fry the patties crispy. Serve with a green salad.480 kcal fat per person: 19 g, preparation approx. 1 1/2 hours