Chestnuts Roasted by the Fire

La storia di questo piatto

Roasted chestnuts belong to Italy's mountain country, where the hearth has long been the heart of autumn and the fire the oldest kind of cooking. The name "Caldarroste al Camino" is no codified title, only a way of saying where this humble tradition lives: in the glow of the embers.

Ingredienti

• 800 g Fresh chestnuts
• 1.5 liter Water
• 1 tablespoon Coarse salt
• 400 ml Young red wine

Preparazione

1. Light the fireplace and feed the fire with dry wood (oak, beech or olive): live embers, red and free of black smoke, take about 40 minutes in total. While the fire catches, prepare the chestnuts following steps 2 and 3, which take about 25 minutes; the remaining 15 minutes are pure waiting, during which you should have the necessary tools ready: a clean, thick kitchen towel, a well-sharpened small knife and a perforated chestnut pan with a long handle. Check that the embers are glowing red and that there are no high flames. If you already have embers ready, skip this step and go directly to step 2.
2. Choose the chestnuts one by one: they should be heavy, glossy, with no small holes or soft spots. Put them in a large bowl, cover with about 1.4 liters of cold water out of the 1.5 liters total (set aside about 100 ml for the towel in step 6) and let them soak for 10 minutes. This brief soak serves to sort them and moisten the shell, not to hydrate them deeply: a long soak is not needed. Discard those that float, as they are empty or spoiled. Drain the others and dry them well with a towel.
3. With the well-sharpened knife, score each chestnut with a single clean cut on the rounded side, cutting through the shell and the inner skin without sinking into the flesh. The incision lets steam escape and prevents the chestnut from bursting on the embers. Hold the chestnut steady with a cloth so it does not slip.
4. When the embers are ready, fill the perforated chestnut pan with the chestnuts and rotate it over the live embers, not over high flames: steady, intense heat is needed. Shake the pan often with your wrist so that the chestnuts near the bottom do not burn. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
5. Check the cooking: the cut should have opened wide, the shell curled at the edges and dark, almost black. Peel one chestnut: the flesh should be golden, soft and come away easily. If it is still hard or tastes raw, put the pan back on the embers for a few minutes and try again.
6. As soon as they are removed from the fire, wrap the chestnuts in a clean, thick kitchen towel, dampened with the 100 ml of water set aside and well wrung out. Close the bundle tightly and let it rest for 5 minutes: the moist steam softens the shell and makes it easy to remove.
7. Bring the roasted chestnuts to the table still warm, in the opened towel. Each person peels their own; if desired, keep 1 tablespoon of coarse salt in a small separate bowl to touch the warm flesh with a pinch. Serve with young red wine, about 100 ml per person.