Chestnuts And Wild Mushrooms Recipes

CHESTNUT AND WILD MUSHROOM STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Using chestnut knife or sharp paring knife, make large X on flat side of each chestnut through shell but not meat. Soak chestnuts in bowl of warm water to cover by 2 inches for 15 minutes, then drain well. Arrange chestnuts in 1 layer in shallow baking pan, then roast in middle of oven until shells curl away at X mark, about 15 minutes. Wearing protective gloves, peel away shells from chestnuts while still hot. In large pot boiling water, blanch chestnuts 2 minutes, then drain. Using kitchen towel, rub chestnuts to remove skins. Coarsely chop and reserve. Leave oven on.
• Butter 9- by 13-inch casserole dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
• On foil-lined baking sheet, toast bread in 350°F oven, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Place in large mixing bowl and set aside. Leave oven on.
• In heavy, large skillet over moderately high heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring, until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add another 2 tablespoons butter and heat until melted. Add onion and celery, and sauté until translucent, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add mushroom mixture plus parsley and thyme to bread and gently stir to combine.
• In heavy, small pot over moderate heat bring chicken stock to gentle boil. Pour into bread mixture and gently toss to combine. Stir in egg, salt, and pepper. Transfer to casserole dish. The stuffing can be prepared up to this point and kept, covered and refrigerated, up to four hours. Bake until golden brown and heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

WILD MUSHROOM SOUP WITH CHESTNUTS AND ROASTED FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the fennel halves, cut-side up, in a baking dish and drizzle with enough olive oil to come up half-way; season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until completely tender - the roasted fennel is the base of the soup, so it's important the flesh is soft enough to be cut with a spoon. Reserve until ready to serve.
• In a large pot, melt the butter over medium flame, add the onion and garlic, and saute for 4 minutes until translucent. Toss the thyme into the pan, along with the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mushrooms give off their liquid. Add the chestnuts and cook for a few more minutes until they have some nice color on them. Remove about 1 cup of the mixture to save as a garnish for the soup.
• Pour the stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring now and then. Remove from the heat and puree the soup until completely smooth, using a handheld or regular blender. Stir in the cream to make the soup even richer, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.
• To serve: Ladle the soup into soup bowls; garnish each serving with a bit of the reserved mushrooms and chestnuts, a roasted fennel half, and a sprinkle of chopped chives.

WILD MUSHROOMS WITH CHESTNUTS AND THYME

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender and golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and stir until melted. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender and brown, about 10 minutes. Add thyme and stir 1 minute. Add Madeira and simmer until almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add chestnuts and whipping cream and simmer until cream thickens and coats mushroom mixture, about 1 minute. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with chives.

WILD MUSHROOMS WITH CHESTNUTS AND THYME

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add shallots and sauté until tender and golden, about 6 minutes.
• Add garlic and stir 30 seconds.
• Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and stir until melted.
• Add mushrooms; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Sauté until tender and brown, about 10 minutes.
• Add thyme and stir 1 minute.
• Add Madeira and simmer until almost evaporated, about 1 minute.
• Add chestnuts and whipping cream and simmer until cream thickens and coats mushroom mixture, about 1 minute.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with chives.

WILD MUSHROOM, CHESTNUT, AND SAUSAGE DRESSING

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the broth to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the mushrooms and let stand for 1 hour. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the broth. Roughly chop the mushrooms, transfer to a large bowl and add the focaccia stuffing. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a small Dutch oven.
• In a saute pan over medium heat, melt 3 tbsp of the butter. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the chestnuts and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the focaccia mixture.
• Return the pan to medium heat and mel the remaining 1 tablespoons butter. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and crumbling with the back of a wooden spoon until the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add to the bowl with focaccia mixture and stir in the parsley and sage. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, wanr the reserve broth. Add enough of the broth to the focaccia mixture to make the dressing moist. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer the dressing to the prepared Dutch oven and bake until crispy and golden on top, 45 minutes to 1 hour, covering the pan with the lid if the dressing gets too dark.

WILD MUSHROOM & CHESTNUT COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the carrot, swede and onions, and cook for 8 mins. Add the garlic, rosemary, tomato purée and yeast extract, and cook for a further 5 mins. Add the tomatoes and white wine and scrape all the goodness off the bottom of the pan. Pour in the stock, add the mushrooms and chestnuts, then simmer for 8 mins until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, to make the topping, put all the vegetables in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 12 mins or until the vegetables are tender. Drain, then allow to steam-dry for 5 mins. Roughly mash the roots with the butter, milk and some seasoning.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Pile the mushroom mixture into an ovenproof dish, top with the mash, then cook for 30 mins until golden and bubbling. Serve with some buttered greens, if you like.