Chestnuts are soft, dense and sweet, tasting kind of like yams but a bit more mild. Warm, fresh out of the oven they are a really delicious and hearty snack all on their own, with no seasoning or dips required. They are lower in fats and higher in complex carbohydrates than other nuts, as well as high in fiber, vitamin C, several B vitamins and the essential minerals manganese, copper and potassium. All of these nutrients play different roles in the body from stabilizing energy levels to improving digestion to helping red blood cell formation to boosting the immune system to acting as antioxidants. When you buy the chestnuts they should feel heavy and be a rich brown color, the skin should feel hard and stiff like a thin piece of wood and the flesh should come right up to the inside of the skin. If there are any with hollow spots or little holes, discard those ones.
- 3 cups whole chestnuts
- Preheat oven to 350°. Make a shallow widthwise incision along the top of each chestnut, and continue the cut along the sides. As they bake the skin will slip apart a little and it will be easier to peel off, but the skin isn't very thick so the cut just needs to break through it, be careful not to cut into the fleshy part just beneath the surface. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before peeling but be sure to peel them before they cool completely or the peels will stiffen up and be harder to get off.
