Ok Today its time for...
Spikey Chest-Balls
Otherwise known as Chestnuts... But My names better OK?
Ok we're at that time of year when its time to get out and do the Gathering course of death. Its foraging season. Time to stock up on the abundance provided by mother nature, do the more tedious pick ups, and get attacked by spikey balls.
Seriously who's bright idea was it to give chestnuts Armor? They have to be designed specifically to be used by 6 year olds as projectiles.
If I get one more of those damn things flying at the back of my head I think I might just loose my cool.
Anyway back to the Foraging.
Locally there are a load of chestnut trees which is great for loading up before the holiday season, so its the perfect time to gather them up and process them ready for jarring and freezing.
If you've ever gathered chestnuts in sandals you will know how long you're going to spend later removing the needles...
After A few hours out in the woods and we got enough for the holiday season and some to spare. Its time to head home and get down to the nitty gritty.
At least the boy had fun.
Now that I'm back with my bag of loot, its time to prepare the little bastards. DO NOT EAT RAW CHESTNUTS. Simple, your stomach and arse will thank you.
Step 1: Rinse the chestnuts.
Step 2: On the flat side of each chestnut cut a slice or an X, Your choice.
Step 3- Put them in a pot of cold water, bring them to a boil and let them cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn off and leave them in the water.
Step 4- When they're still warm, (Not while they're boiling hot if you like your skin attached to your fingers.) peel them and set them aside for your recipes. Freezing or jarring whatever you're going to do with them.
Voila, You got some peeled and prepped chestnuts.
Guess I should add a step 3.5... Skin up, roll one and pour a beverage. Your gonna be peeling for a bit.
So by Now I have finished prepping all the chestnuts for various dishes, and prepared dinner with some of my foraged goods. Tonight its Chestnut Sage and Butternut Squash soup.
Looks good doesn't it?
Ok, Ok, FFS... Fine @iaura just said I need to share my soup recipe. Otherwise I cant take a picture of it.
Guess it couldn't hurt.
So here is the Recipe, Quick and Dirty.
Like Me Badaboom.
You Need:
Handful of Bacon Lardons
1 Onion Chopped
1 Clove of Garlic Crushed
1 Inch Cube of peeled ginger chopped
Handful of fresh sage Chopped
I use our purple sage as its what's planted in the garden, you can use dried but add it to taste. Some dried sage is like rocket fuel and some has no flavor at all.
1/2 lb or (225 grams) Prepared chestnuts Crush them up a bit.
1 Butternut Squash peeled chopped and ready
1 Peeled and cored Tart Apple, Chopped - Granny Smith Etc.
4 cups (950ML) Chicken Stock
Coconut cream 1 cup or 240 ml if your feeling metric.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, half a lemons worth.
Salt and Cracked Black pepper to taste
So Fry those Lardons off till you render out the fat in 2 tbsp of Coconut or Olive oil, Your choice.
Take them out once crispy and put to the side.
Next in the oil and bacon fat, Fry the onions, Chopped apple, Garlic, and ginger until translucent. Keep em moving in there, don't want them to stick.
Deglaze the pain with the chicken stock making sure to get all those golden bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the Sage, Chestnuts and Butternut squash and simmer for about 30 minutes or until everything is starting to fall apart. Season with salt pepper and the lemon juice.
Now you put it to the side and let it cool down until its warm. Once its cooler (not cold) hit it with a stick blender or bang it in the food processor and blend it until its smooth.
Back in the pan it goes, add your coconut cream and crispy bacon bits, heat till hot.
Try not to boil it after this stage as you'll lose a lot of the flavor from the coconut cream, and sometimes it will split.
Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and butter fried sage leaves and serve with crusty bread.
Enjoy.
BTW... for reference no I didn't take pictures of the cooking process. I didn't think I needed My recipe to post pictures of my fuckin soup ok?
This year I'm making the most of it, as My favorite chestnut tree is on its way out.
As you can see the ants have moved in, 16 years ago she was healthy and solid. Now sadly her new diet has stripped all the meat from her bones.
Hopefully I got another year with her, but you never can tell! So here's to her abundance over the last 16.
You have fed me well.
Cheers Chestinut tree!
Seriously I love this tree, I'm secretly heartbroken.
All Photos taken by me on My Chinesium Phone A Xiamoi Mi 11 lite
24 down just 7 more to go.
I decided I'm going to have a bit of fun on this 30 posts in 30 days. I'm going to do a post 31, and a giveaway on the 31st post, cause some months have 31 days or so I've been told.
In spite of my rough and ready appearance I'm an Antique dealer I know I already said it.
So it'll probably be old shit in your mailbox.
Stay tuned and engage down below . For every post from day 1 if you comment on it you will get one entry and a chance to win.
Then at the end of the 30 posts, on day 31 There will be a random raffle you will get a chance to win....
Really cool old shit.
Yum! We don't get chestnuts here :( well maybe the supermarket has them but it's expensive and not fresh
They are delicious fresh, I also like to do a dish by roasting them with Honey and Armangac served on Fresh goats cheese. It sounds odd but its delicious.
That sounds awesome!
I had roasted chestnuts for the first time at a Christmas market in France and thought they were the most delicious things of life. I noticed that they were everywhere near were I live and was looking forward to go and forage them around town. But then I Google it and learned that there are chestnut look-a-likes that are not good to eat. They have a white bottom instead of a brown one. I'm glad I didn't pick and eat a bunch without researching it first hahaha. Anyway, I think I saw some spikey balls like that in the woods near home so maybe I'll try again this weekend.
Yeah Horse Chestnuts are pretty common down here too, They're native all over France so shouldn't be too hard to find. Its one of our favourite things every year, the Roasted chestnuts at a Christmas market somehow just taste better.