Help please - how to use a can of Chestnuts?

[Auryn]

I found a can of chestnuts in the pantry that is coming up to expire. I can't for the life of me remember what recipe I got them for. They are “Whole Chestnuts in Water”.

Does anyone have any ideas of how I can use them, or some recipes? Searches have been giving me lots of great water chestnut recipes, but these are regular chestnuts…

Thanks for your help!

[gdbauma]

I put them in stir-fry. Usually, I mix bell peppers, broccoli, onions, and mushrooms and just toss in the water chestnuts right at the end.

[HealthyinMN]

I made these way back in 2006, but I remember them going over well!

Five-Spice Turkey and Lettuce Wraps (Adapted from EW)



1/2 cup water
1/2 cup instant brown rice
2 teaspoons sesame oil
16 ounces ground turkey
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped roasted bell peppers,
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 small can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 heads worth of Boston Lettuce leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons mint
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

In a small saucepan, add water and bring to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add turkey and ginger. Cook for about 4-6 minutes, until the turkey is done, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon. Mix in the cooked rice, bell pepper, broth, water chestnuts, hoisin, five-spice powder and salt. Continue to cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Divide mixture between lettuce leaves, scatter with fresh herbs and the shredded carrot. Roll into wraps.

[MissFood]

Regular chestnuts, not water chestnuts, right? I have a soup recipe at home that calls for chestnuts. I've made it once and didn't turn out like I expected. Average to good, but not silky smooth like I was expecting. I can post later on if you'd like. The only other things that occur to me are desserts -- like chestnut souffles or ice cream -- or stuffing, and unfortunately I don't have tested recipes of either of those.

[testkitchen45]

Searches have been giving me lots of great water chestnut recipes, but these are regular chestnuts…

Can you freeze them till fall? You'll find lots of non-water-chestnut recipes in the fall. Or check the W-S website. I think it's at W-S that I've seen regular chestnut recipes, as a traditional fall flavor.

[Auryn]

gdbauma and Joe – I just love water chestnuts, and am going to be trying both of your ideas soon. Joe –I love your pictures, they make me want to make the recipes right now! (Sorry that my original post wasn't clear)

MissFood and TestKitchen – thanks for your ideas too! I’m off to check the W-S website…

If anyone has any good stuffing recipes with chestnuts - I'd love to see them. Thanks!

[live2cook]

You might be looking for a sweet dish to make with those.

Like...Italian Chocolate-Chestnut Torte

Since yours are packed in water you probably should follow this recipe first for marrons glacés.

Take a pot and dissolve 1 cup sugar in a half liter of water over low heat. Add a vanilla bean and simmer the syrup, stirring it gently with a wooden spoon, until the syrup thickens somewhat (you want it to remain fairly fluid). Pour the syrup over the chestnuts and simmer them over a very low flame for a half hour, then turn off the flame and let them sit for ten minutes more.


Italian Chocolate-Chestnut Torte

If making torte up to 1 day ahead, cool, cover airtight, and chill.


2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon rum (optional)
1/4 cup chestnut flour or all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped chestnuts in syrup, drained, or marrons glacés (see notes)
Cookie crust (recipe follows)
Powdered sugar
8 to 10 whole chestnuts in syrup, drained, or marrons glacés (optional)
Coffee ice cream

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate in a microwave oven on full power (100%) until soft, about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
2. To chocolate, add mascarpone, ricotta, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, egg yolks, rum, flour, and chopped chestnuts; stir until well blended.

3. In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat whites until they hold stiff peaks. Gently fold whites into cheese mixture; scrape into cookie crust and spread level.

4. Bake in a 350° oven until filling is firm when pan is gently shaken and springs back when lightly touched in the center, about 30 minutes (20 minutes in a convection oven).

5. Cool on a rack about 20 minutes. Run a knife between cake and pan rim; remove rim. Let torte cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes; proceed, or chill airtight up to 1 day.

6. Sift powdered sugar over torte. If desired, decorate top with whole chestnuts spaced evenly around rim. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream.

Cookie crust. In a food processor or blender, whirl about 45 vanilla wafer cookies (6 oz. total) until finely ground. Pour crumbs into a 9-inch cake pan with removable rim. Add 3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine, 1 tablespoon each honey and rum, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; mix well and press evenly over bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

[Auryn]

I had just gone to the W-S website and found some potential ideas – but the torte sounds so good too! Looks like I’m going to have to save a couple recipes to try. Here’s a few I found on the W-S site (see links for pictures).

I appreciate the help, looks like the can of chestnuts won’t be lingering around here much longer!

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Wild Rice and Chestnut Dressing
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http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recip...79F3048F7374B2

Wild rice is not a rice at all but the seed of an aquatic grass. Although much of it is now cultivated and harvested by machine, it can still be found wild along the shorelines of lakes and rivers in the American Midwest, particularly in Minnesota. There, Native Americans working from canoes still gather the rice by hand. Jumbo-grade grains are the longest and most desirable for this dressing. Doneness is a matter of personal taste. Some cooks prefer the rice still slightly crunchy, while others like it cooked until it is tender and the ends of the grains have split.

Ingredients:
• 3 cups water
• 3/4 cup jumbo-grade wild rice, rinsed
• 3 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
• 2 cups finely chopped fennel bulb
• 1 Tbs. poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 lb. sliced whole wheat bread, 2 to 3 days old, toasted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 jar (15 oz.) steamed chestnuts
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups turkey stock
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:
In a heavy pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the wild rice and 1 tsp. of the salt. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the rice and let cool.

Preheat an oven to 325°F. Generously butter a large, shallow baking dish.

In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, chopped fennel, poultry seasoning, thyme and fennel seeds. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the bread, chestnuts, the onion mixture and the wild rice. In another bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Whisk the stock into the eggs, then stir the egg mixture into the bowl with the bread mixture. Stir in the parsley, the remaining 2 tsp. salt and the pepper.

Spoon the dressing into the prepared baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake until the dressing is lightly browned on top, 20 to 30 minutes more. Serves 10.

Note: This dish can also be packed loosely in the body and neck cavities of the turkey and served as a stuffing. Secure the neck flap with kitchen string or pin it to the back with toothpicks or trussing pins. Tying the legs together will help hold the stuffing in the body cavity. For turkeys weighing 16 lb. or less, add 30 minutes to the total roasting time. For turkeys weighing more than 16 lb., add 1 hour to the total roasting time.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Thanksgiving, by Michael McLaughlin (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts
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http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recip...EC5C4FDA4CE818

Use either fresh or jarred chestnuts to prepare this autumnal dish, which is the perfect accompaniment to roast turkey or pork. Bits of bacon lend a crispy texture and pleasingly salty flavor.

Ingredients:
• 6 oz. bacon, diced
• 5 shallots, minced
• 4 lb. brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
• 1 cup roughly chopped roasted and peeled chestnuts (fresh or jarred)
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 425ºF.

In a large roasting pan or ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the brussels sprouts, chestnuts, thyme, salt and pepper and stir well.

Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 15 minutes, then stir the ingredients. Continue roasting until the brussels sprouts are tender, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately. Serves 6.

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Pear, Chestnut and Sage Dressing
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http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recip...AB80EDDF895406

Whether to call the starch dish dressing or stuffing is a perennial debate at Thanksgiving tables. The term stuffing is usually used when it is cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is typically cooked in a baking pan. But the name also varies depending on what part of the United States you are from. People who hail from the East and South are more likely to call it dressing. Whatever term you use, the dish is a favorite on Thanksgiving tables from coast to coast.

Ingredients:
• 1-lb. loaf rustic country bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 lb. pork breakfast sausage, casings removed
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 Bosc pear, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 cup peeled and chopped steamed or roasted chestnuts
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh sage
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Spread the bread out on a baking sheet and let dry overnight.

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a large, shallow baking dish.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, brown the sausage, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

In the same pan, melt the 1 Tbs. butter and add the onion, carrot, celery and pear. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the sausage. Add the chestnuts, parsley, sage, melted butter, stock, salt and pepper and stir to mix. Add the bread and stir to mix well.

Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and bake until golden and crispy, about 1 hour. Serves 10 to 12.

Note: If desired, you can pack the dressing loosely in the body and neck cavities of the turkey. Secure the neck flap with kitchen string or pin it to the back with toothpicks or trussing pins. Tying the legs together will help hold the stuffing in the body cavity. For turkeys weighing 16 lb. or less, add 30 minutes to the total roasting time. For turkeys weighing more than 16 lb., add 1 hour to the total roasting time.

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[Donnaluv2cruise]

I love this stuffing recipe. Maybe you could roast a chicken with it?

Raffy's Turkey Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

1 medium green apple, cored and diced into 1-inch cubes
1 medium red apple, cored and diced into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons cubed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (6-ounce) bag dried cranberries
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, meat removed from casing
8 ounce jar steamed whole chestnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 pound day old cornbread or bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup canned chicken stock
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a medium saute pan add the apples, onion, 1 tablespoon oil and butter cook over a medium low heat for 10 minutes to soften. Add the wine, cranberries, and salt and pepper, simmer for about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and turkey sausage meat and break up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl toss together the fruit and onion mixture, the sausage, the chestnuts, the cornbread and red pepper flakes. Combine all the ingredients.

Add the chicken stock, and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Gently place into an 8 1/2 by 8 1/2- inch glass Pyrex baking dish and top with the remaining Parmesan. Dot with butter. Place in middle rack and bake until top is golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings