Peeling fresh chestnuts is a huge pain in the ass! At first I thought it was odd that all the chestnut stuffing recipes called for canned chestnuts (eww, right?) but after wrestling with the hairy little bastards for over an hour, I now understand why. I have not done a taste test comparison of the fresh vs. canned but my guess is that it is probably worth the extra effort required for fresh chestnuts (at least, I hope it is...) They sure are pretty, though.
Any white bread will do. Some people like the lighter sandwich type bread and others go for slightly crustier loaves. I used two sweet (as opposed to sour which is the default for pretty much all bread here in the Bay Area) baguettes from Acme Bread Company - a terrific bakery based here in Berkeley. Don't skimp on the herbs! I threw a ton of fresh parsley, sage and thyme in and it lent a lovely herby flavor. The thyme is particularly wonderful-smelling.
Ingredients
Makes 8-10 servings
- 1 lb white bread cut into one inch cubes
- 1 cup coarsely chopped roasted or boiled chestnuts
- Half a stick of butter (4 tbsps)
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
- 2 small to medium sized onions, chopped
- 4 ribs of celery, finely chopped
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or other fruit - currants, etc.
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tsps chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tsps chopped fresh sage
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a large X on the flat side of each chestnut (be sure to go all the way through the protective shell) then place the nuts on a thick baking sheet and pour a cup or two of water on the tray. Bake the chestnuts, flipping them over once, for 15-20 minutes. Leave them in the oven and shell and peel a handful at a time (they will be hot and a bit hard to handle). Chop the chestnut meats coarsely.
2. If you don't have time to let the bread cubes get stale by sitting out, place them in a single layer on a thick cookie sheet or two and bake at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until golden.
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan or saucepan and add the onions and celery. Cook on medium heat until softened - 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and fold in the herbs, mixing well to combine.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the chestnuts and dried cranberries.
5. Pour this mixture into the cubed dry bread and stir to combine.
6. Add the stock to the stuffing mixture and stir well until it is moist all over but not soggy.
7. Add the egg if you want to give the cooked stuffing a bit more substance.
8. Pour the stuffing into a buttered casserole pan or baking dish and dot the top with butter.
9. Bake until the top gets crusty - 30-45 minutes.
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