The Good Natured Chef

By Linda Garretson

It didn’t take long to decide what recipe to write for November. I mentioned the upcoming article to my daughter and she was adamant that chestnut stuffing is the hands-down favorite. So here you go, from my holiday memories to you.

The history of this recipe dates back to our family’s quintessential Thanksgivings at Aunt Hannah’s. (She wasn’t really our aunt but we always called her that.) She lived on a farm in Pennsylvania complete with a stone barn, hex signs and buildings dating back hundreds of years. Thanksgiving, however, was in the newer home designed especially for large parties. Nearly 40 relatives or distant relatives in our case, gathered at one table. 

Almost everything on the table was grown on the farm: turkeys, onions, beans, squash, pumpkins, and potatoes, everything except that is, the chestnuts. They were likely imported from somewhere, but one thing for sure is that they sat on the highest pedestal, along with the cooks who spent a week peeling them. The majority of that stuffing was the revered chestnut. The remaining ingredients were merely a suggestion of onions, celery, parsley, and breadcrumbs. The memory of that labor of love, and the gift to the palate, remains with me decades later. 

Today I offer you something a bit more practical, yet still quite savory. Hopefully this recipe will make it to your Thanksgiving table, and it will receive the same rave reviews as it did many years ago at Aunt Hannah’s. Hopefully it will offer you a delicious memory that lingers long after the dishes are cleared.

Chestnut Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 cups of celery, finely chopped

2 cups of onion, finely chopped

1 cup of parsley, finely chopped

2 cups of low sodium vegetable broth, more if needed

4 cups of homemade breadcrumbs (see notes) or a 12 oz package of herbed stuffing

Several dozen fresh chestnuts, roasted and peeled 

Sea salt

Method:

• Roast and peel the chestnuts – see notes

• In a large pot heat a cup of the vegetable broth and sauté the onions, celery, and a few pinches   

   of sea salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes until soft. 

• Stir in the breadcrumbs and remaining vegetable broth. 

• Add the chopped parsley and chestnuts, combining well.

• Place the stuffing in an ovenproof casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Serves 4 or more.

Notes: 

I like to sauté the vegetables and peel the chestnuts the day before, then assemble the other ingredients on Thanksgiving. It is also best baked separately, but feel free to stuff the bird with it.

Look for large fresh Italian chestnuts. The shells should be soft, not dry, and free of any sign of mold or mildew. The amount of chestnuts in this recipe depends on your willingness to peel them. The more the better.

To roast the chestnuts cut an “x” into the flat side of the nut. Roast in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Roast a dozen or more at a time, (it’s easier to peel them when they are warm). I also like to enlist the family to help with this process. In this case, buy extra chestnuts because I promise you, it’s hard not to eat them during the peeling process.

Save a few to roast on Thanksgiving Day. Served as a course between the main meal and dessert it is a lovely way to prolong the wonder of the feast that always ends too soon.

A few health tips about chestnuts: They are low in calories, contain 50 times less fat and four times more complex carbohydrates than other nuts. They are delightfully sweet.

You can also add chestnuts to my recipe for dried corn at www.goodnaturedcooking.com/nowyou’recooking/grains, or my beet and sweet potato puree also on this website under vegetables.

For homemade breadcrumbs use stale bread (whole wheat sourdough is my favorite). Tear into small pieces and heat in a slow oven until thoroughly dry. For finer breadcrumbs, pulse a few times in a food processor.

“The Council of Pecans” chapter in “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Kimmerer is an excellent story about collecting nuts.