Chestnuts
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Mountainous parts of France and Italy seem to yield the plumpest chestnuts . Our home-grown ones are never a match for size and, when you have pounds to prepare for a party, or for the Christmas stuffing, size does matter. (Vacuum packed, shelled chestnuts are a good quality alternative.)
Chestnuts do not contain much oil and traditionally were ground to produce a form of flour which is still used in some regions of Italy. Marrons glacés are a much better known form: these are candied chestnuts.
How to peel chestnuts: Not a particularly easy job this, but the best method I have come across is as follows: rinse the chestnuts, then make a small incision in the flat side of the shell of each nut. Place them in a saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to the boil and boil gently for 10 minutes or so. Take the pan off the heat and use a draining spoon to remove the chestnuts from the water two or three at a time.
Peel these before removing the next batch. Take care to remove the inner skin from the crevices in the chestnuts – you will have to break the nut apart to do so, but for making a soup this won't matter.
Serves 8Petits Monts Blancs
A brilliant party dish this, as it's so easy to make - all you need is bought meringue nests and a tin of sweetened chestnut puree, one of Delia's favourite ingredients.
Serves 4Chestnut Soup with Bacon and Thyme Croutons
Ready-cooked chestnuts allow you to make this soup in no time at all and you'll be well rewarded: the chestnuts add richness and a sweet flavour which goes really well with the other ingredients: a perfect winter soup.
Serves 4Pot-roasted Pheasant with Port and Chestnuts
A superb alternative to turkey at Christmas and throughout the game season, this pheasant dish is crammed with robust flavours and wintry sustenance.
Makes 8Petits Monts Blancs
A brilliant party dish this, as it's so easy to make - all you need is bought meringue nests and a tin of sweetened chestnut puree, one of Delia's favourite ingredients.
Serves 4-6Christmas Easy: Braised Venison with Bacon, Chestnuts and Wild Mushrooms in a Rich Madeira Sauce
This casserole freezes extremely well and fits the bill perfectly at Christmas when you have had enough turkey. Because it’s braised slowly, there are lots of lovely flavours and because the sauce, made with rich Madeira, is dark and glossy, this cri
