中文菜谱: 烤栗子
When the fall came to the end, chestnut, one of my favorite nuts, appeared on local Saturday farmer’s market. I have to buy several quarts of them whenever I see these cute brown color sweet nuts. Right, that is how much I love them.
I was approached more than once by some curious American fellows asking me what they are and what they taste like. Well, when toasted, chestnut tastes very much like butternut squash, but sweeter with firmer texture. According to my standard, they are a hundred times better than butternut squash.
When I was growing up, dried chestnut was a winter staple in my grandma’s pantry. They are used in chicken soup, pork stew, even in porridge. There are a thousand ways to cook chestnut and each single one of them is awsome.
As for me, I always enjoy the freshly roasted ones the best.
It is a very simple and non-effort way. Chestnuts are the only ingredient here. We will also need a pair of sharp scissors and a toaster oven.
Wash and drain the chestnuts. Cut across the tops and be careful not to hurt yourself or cut the chestnuts into halves. We just need a shallow cut so that they won’t explode when roasted in the oven.
Preheat the toaster oven to 350F. (Preheat to 375F if using a normal sized oven).
Spread out the chestnuts onto a cookie pan. Pop them in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. (Bake another 5 minutes if using a normal sized oven).
These chestnuts I got from local farmer’s market are quite small. Large size chestnuts might require additional 8 to 10 minutes baking time.
Serve immediately right out of oven. The cuts on chestnut tops will help to release the nuts from their shells.
I’d rather have a bucket of these instead of popcorn when watching a movie and cozying up with my husband on the couch. They taste so much better!
