Herbed Chestnut Dressing or Stuffing

This is the first time I have cooked with dried chestnuts. This is also, no lie, the first time I have ever cooked with any kind of chestnuts at all, so I have never yet done the whole chestnut-peeling operation, a trial I imagine I will have to face sooner or later. I first learned about dried chestnuts from Clotilde at Chocolate and Zucchini. She used them to make this carrot soup and these interesting little galettes. Chestnuts have been on my to try list for a while, and the dried version seemed like the easiest kind to use, so I was especially glad to find organic dried chestnuts at my local grocer last week. Even right out of the bag these guys have a deep woody, nutty aroma, which becomes mellower and even more wonderful once they are cooked.

Yippee! I finally cooked chestnuts! will certainly be using them again.

Herbed Chestnut Dressing or Stuffing

Olive oil

1 onion, diced

7 ounces shallots (or another onion), diced

1 pound carrots, sliced

8 ounces dried chestnuts (1 ½ cups), or substitute 8 ounces raw chestnuts, or one pound cooked chestnuts

3 fat pinches dried thyme

8 sage leaves (1 teaspoon dried sage)

salt

8 cups or so torn or cubed bread (I used half a challah and two whole grain rolls)

1 pound (2 packages) wild rice tempeh, or other tempeh.

½ cup balsamic vinegar

yet another onion, finely diced

6 eggs

salt, pepper, and paprika

dry sherry

Heat oil in a large kettle and add the shallots and onions. Cook and stir a few minutes and add the carrots, chestnuts and herbs. Continue cooking and stirring until the onions and shallots are quite soft, about fifteen minutes, and pour in water to cover and add about one and a half teaspoons salt. Allow to cook until the chestnuts are soft, adding more water as needed, about forty-five minutes.

Toast the bread-bits in the oven until quite crisp and brown.

Heat some more oil in a large iron skillet. Crumble the tempeh into the skillet and cook over high heat until deep golden on all sides. Pour on the balsamic vinegar. Sizzle sizzle sizzle.

Beat the eggs and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. When they are cool enough to handle, combine the toasted bread, braised tempeh, and stewed chestnuts and carrots in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sprinkle on a bit of dry sherry and mix, mix, toss, toss.

You can use this dressing to stuff a pumpkin like this beautiful musquee de Provence, or just bake at 350 it in an oiled ovenproof dish, covered, for about 45 minutes.

See other herbal dreams fulfilled in Vanessa's Weekend Herb Blogging roundup at What Geeks Eat.

The Yiddish words for chestnut are קעסט and קאַשטאַן (kashtan and kest) The elegant and graceful chestnut tree is the symbol of the city of Kiev.
Food and Drink, Recipes, Cooking, Food, Vegetarian, vegetables, antioxidant-rich foods, Weekend Herb Blogging, whb,