Boiled Chestnuts

Name: Boiled Chestnuts
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: Chestnuts 1.1 lbs; Coarse salt 1 spoonful; Water 1.3 cups; Sugar 1 ½ cup; Rum 2.1 oz; Vanilla bean 1

1112

Calories per serving

Gluten Free
Lactose Free
Vegetarian

Energy Kcal 1112
Carbohydrates g 245.5
of which sugars g 173.5
Protein g 7.4
Fats g 3.8
of which saturated fat g 1.06
Fiber g 18.9
Sodium mg 614

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Serving: 2 persone
Cost: Average
Note plus soaking time (2 hours)

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Leyla Farella

Chestnuts are the queens of autumn and there are many ways to enjoy them: roasted, in the typical perforated pan or salted, and even in an air fryer. But have you ever tried making boiled chestnuts? Today we want to show you two different ways to prepare them: the classic recipe and those in rum syrup! The classic version is very simple and to fully enjoy the sweetness and softness of the chestnuts, we recommend eating them hot, right after they are ready! But if you are looking for a way to preserve chestnuts to enjoy them even in the months when they are hard to find, our chestnuts in rum syrup will be a perfect treat! Discover all the tricks to make them and thanks to our steps, you will get tender and easy-to-peel chestnuts.

With boiled chestnuts, you can prepare many delicious desserts, like these:

chestnut cream
chestnut dessert cups
chestnut and chocolate tart

Discover all our recipes with chestnuts!

INGREDIENTS

1112

Calories per serving

Chestnuts 1.1 lbs (500 g)

Coarse salt 1 spoonful

For the rum syrup version: Water 1.3 cups (300 g); Sugar 1 ½ cup (300 g); Rum 2.1 oz (60 g); Vanilla bean 1

How to make boiled chestnuts

To prepare boiled chestnuts, first choose the chestnuts, discarding any with holes or that are open. Then transfer them to a bowl and completely cover them with room-temperature water 1. Let the chestnuts soak for 2 hours 2. After the time has passed, wash the chestnuts under running water 3.

At this point, pat them dry with a cloth or kitchen paper 4. Score them one by one, making a horizontal cut around the entire circumference of the chestnut 5, not just on the rounded part. This step can be skipped, but it helps prevent the chestnuts from bursting during cooking. A bit of water may penetrate during cooking by scoring them. Bring a pot of water to a boil, lightly salt it, and transfer the chestnuts inside 6.

Cook over moderate heat for 40-45 minutes 7. Then drain the chestnuts well 8 and transfer them to a bowl where you have placed a cloth inside 9. Close the cloth for 10 minutes; this will make it easier to peel and enjoy your boiled chestnuts.

How to make rum chestnuts

To prepare chestnuts in rum syrup, as previously done, choose the best, unspoiled chestnuts. Soak them for 2 hours 10, then rinse and dry them. Score the chestnuts along the entire circumference 11 and plunge them into boiling, lightly salted water 12. This time, the chestnuts need to cook for only 15 minutes.

Heat a fairly large pan very well and as soon as the 15 minutes are up, drain the chestnuts with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the hot pan 13. Cover with a lid 14 and cook over the fire for about 1 and a half minutes. After this time, transfer the chestnuts to a bowl where you have placed a cloth inside 15. Close the cloth to cover the chestnuts and wait a few minutes.

Start peeling the chestnuts 16, taking them one by one from the cloth and leaving the others warm in the towel. When all the chestnuts are peeled, prepare the sugar and rum syrup in which the chestnuts will be stored. In a pan, combine the sugar, water 17, and a vanilla bean split lengthwise 18.

Bring to a boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Turn off the heat and remove the vanilla pod 19. Add the rum 20 and stir briefly 21.

Place the peeled chestnuts in sterilized jars 22 and pour the hot syrup over them until completely covered 23. Close the jars with the lid while still hot 24 and store the jars in a pantry at room temperature.

These quantities will fill two 14 oz jars.

Wait 30 days before consuming the chestnuts in rum syrup to let them gain flavor.

Storage

We recommend consuming the boiled chestnuts while still warm.

The chestnuts in rum can be stored in sterilized jars for 6 months. Freezing is not recommended.

Advice

You can flavor the water in which you will cook the chestnuts with a cinnamon stick!

For rum-boiled chestnuts, you can add orange or lemon peels cut into strips with a peeler to the syrup along with the vanilla bean. The peels can be placed in the jars with the chestnuts while pouring the hot syrup. They will give a unique aroma!

Scoring the skin helps to peel the chestnuts better after cooking, but you can skip this step if you prefer.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.