Chestnuts are a cold-weather crop, available from early fall to the end of winter. At that time of year, when the plane trees in Italy’s town squares occasionally still have some leaves left from summer and no sign of spring is in sight, vendors set up sidewalk braziers in the piazzas and roast chestnuts over open fires. They are served up right off the grill, piping hot, in newspaper cones. You have to be out and about to get them that way, and bundled in suitably warm clothing to guard against the weather. Once you buy them, it’s a slow, peel-as-you-go proposition. But somehow the divine combination of freshly roasted chestnuts and a hot coffee from a nearby stand chases away the cold and lessens the effort necessary to pry off the invariably recalcitrant charred shells and inner skins. With the already peeled, freeze-dried or vacuum-wrapped chestnuts now available, the pleasure, albeit without the char but also without the chore, is brought to the home kitchen year-round. If you do not use all the chestnuts in the package, freeze the remainder. If you store them in the refrigerator, they will mold after just a few days.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 3/4 pound
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chestnuts, onion, celery, thyme, nutmeg, sugar, salt, and pepper and stir to mix. Cook until the vegetables begin to sweat, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool completely.
Step 2
Add the pork to the cooled chestnut mixture, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Leave in bulk and shape as directed in individual recipes or stuff into hog casing. The sausage can be used right away.
Step 3
Sauté or grill, or cook as directed in individual recipes. (The uncooked sausage will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; it does not freeze well.)
