Castagne al Vino

Name: Castagne al Vino
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Piemontese
Ingredients: 500 g fresh chestnuts; 500 ml dry piedmontese red wine; 200 ml Water; 100 g granulated sugar; 2 pcs fresh bay leaves; 1 pc Cinnamon stick; 3 pcs whole cloves; 1 strip lemon zest

Whole chestnuts simmered gently in spiced Piedmontese red wine, sugar, and bay leaves until tender and glazed in rich syrup.

🇮🇹Italy· Piedmont

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 70 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 285 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

500 g fresh chestnuts — Castagna Cuneo IGP or fresh sweet chestnuts
500 ml dry piedmontese red wine — such as Barbera or Dolcetto
200 ml Water — fresh water
100 g granulated sugar — caster or granulated
2 pcs fresh bay leaves — whole
1 pc Cinnamon stick — whole stick
3 pcs whole cloves — whole
1 strip lemon zest — untreated, wide strip without white pith

Equipment

•Heavy-bottomed saucepan
•Sharp paring knife
•Slotted spoon
•Wooden spoon

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 285 kcal
fat: 2 g
carbs: 56 g
fibre: 6 g
protein: 3 g
calories: 285 kcal

Instructions

1
Score a shallow horizontal slit across the rounded side of each chestnut shell using a sharp paring knife.
2
Place the scored chestnuts into a pot of cold water and bring to a gentle boil.
3
Cook for ten minutes until the outer shells soften and peel slightly away from the score line.
4
Drain a few chestnuts at a time, peeling away both the tough outer shell and inner brown skin whilst warm.
5
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the red wine, water, sugar, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon zest.
6
Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely.
7
Add the peeled chestnuts carefully into the spiced wine liquid.
8
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cover the pan loosely with a lid.
9
Simmer for thirty to thirty-five minutes until the chestnuts are tender and pierced easily with a skewer.
10
Remove the lid and simmer uncovered for five minutes until the wine syrup thickens slightly.
11
Take the pan off the heat and allow the chestnuts to rest in the warm spiced syrup for ten minutes.

Chef's tips

Peel the chestnuts whilst they are still hot, as the bitter inner skin hardens firmly once cold. Keep the wine at a gentle simmer so the chestnuts cook through without disintegrating into the liquid.

Ingredient substitutions

fresh chestnuts → vacuum-packed peeled cooked chestnuts (add straight to syrup and simmer for only 15 minutes)
Barbera wine → Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, or another dry Italian red wine

Storage

Store leftover chestnuts in their wine syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a small saucepan over low heat until warm throughout.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Letting the chestnuts cool before peeling, making the inner furry skin almost impossible to detach cleanly.
•Boiling too violently, which breaks whole chestnuts into small mushy fragments.