L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano C hestnuts roast- ing on an open fire...Jack Frost nipping at your nose. O p e n i n g l i n e i n " T h e Christmas Song." When late singer-song- writer Mel Torme composed those lyrics 77 years ago, he perhaps envisioned the dark b r o w n n u t s r o a s t i n g o n stands at street corners and shopping malls across the United States, symbolizing the sights, scents and tastes of the holiday season. But scenes like this are not limited to this country. In Italy, as soon as there's a chill in the air, chestnut vendors descend on piazzas with carts and roasting trays full of the gleaming nuts, a reminder that the fall is followed by Christmas. The difference is that in America, Torme's tune brings about nostalgia with images of Christmas past for folks who never roasted a chestnut over an open flame. In con- trast, the Italians don't need a song to consider hot-from- the-stove chestnuts as vital to their holiday season dining as baccalà and cannoli are. Chestnuts (castagna) grow wild on hills and mountains throughout Italy. When they turn ripe around November, the nut - encased in a spiny shell - falls from the tree. They vary in size, crunch and sweetness. The queen of all chestnuts is the marrone, a large, plump, particularly sweet variety that's often can- died and sold as a confection. Until recently, the chest- nut was a staple in much of Italy. Wild nuts were harvest- ed by hand easily and cheap- ly, then ground into a sweet powder called farina dolce. The original polenta, com- monly called cornmeal por- ridge, was made with chest- nut flour since corn had not yet been imported from the New World. C o o k ' s I l l u s t r a t e d s a y s chestnuts must be roasted for 2 5 t o 3 0 m i n u t e s a t 4 2 5 degrees, then cooled at room temperature before shelling. To keep them from exploding when steam builds up as they CHUCK PECORARO semi-sweet cake, is a clas- sic chestnut flour dessert. P u r é e d c h e s t n u t s , a c r e a m y d i s h s e r v e d w i t h roasted turkey, goose, pork or game, is common on holi- day season tables. The recipe calls for heavy cream, butter, salt and freshly ground pep- per mixed with the finely ground nuts. T h o u g h c h e s t n u t s a r e i m p o r t e d f r o m I t a l y a n d other European countries, the US grows and markets most of the low-fat, high- starch nuts consumed in this country. In grocery stores, they are usually found whole or canned, priced around $4 a pound. A serious problem that almost wiped out a portion of the domestic chestnut indus- try led to the establishment, i n 1 9 8 3 , o f t h e A m e r i c a n Chestnut Foundation. The organization was founded by prominent scientists who feared the severe impact and possible demise of the American chestnut would have on the economy and ecology. Reigning over 200 m i l l i o n a c r e s o f e a s t e r n forests from Maine to Flori- da, the chestnut tree was in danger of succumbing to a l e t h a l f u n g u s i n f e s t a t i o n known as "chestnut blight" during the first half of the 20th century. An estimated 4 billion chestnuts grew within this range. Under the direction of Dr. Paul Sisco, a plant genetics s p e c i a l i s t , a p r o g r a m o f r e s e a r c h , b r e e d i n g a n d restoration was initiated, including a partnership with Penn State University, to eliminate the disease and restore the ecosystem to its biological health. Today, chestnut trees in the eastern and Californian woodlands are healthy and producing all those chestnuts we enjoy during Christmas- time and other occasions. Chestnuts are a tradition- al yuletide gift for the palate. They're so tasty that we don't mind waiting and watching them roast while Jack Frost nips at our nose. Especially during the holidays, cooks are inspired to create some- thing new and different. For example, a dessert that com- bines chestnuts with choco- late in a cookie. Originating from Italy's northern Pied- mont region, these delicious crumpets promise to bring the meal to a tasty conclu- sion. Chestnut chocolate cook- ies Ingredients (Makes about 50 sandwich cookies) 1 cup peeled and roasted chestnuts (6 ounces) 3/4 cup unbleached all- purpose flour 1 / 3 c u p u n s w e e t e n e d cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature 1 cup confectioner sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract coarse sanding sugar Filling 3/4 cup confectioner sugar 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1 / 2 c u p p u r e v a n i l l a extract 1 pinch of kosher salt. Directions P r e h e a t o v e n t o 3 2 5 degrees. In a food processor, pulse chestnuts until finely ground. Measure 1/2 cup of nuts, then reserve renaming nuts for filling. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa and salt; whisk in 2 tablespoons water. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and both sugars at medium- high speed for 2 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup ground chest- nuts and vanilla; reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until combined. Place the sanding sugar in a small shallow dish. make small balls of dough with your hands, roll in sanding sugar to coat, and flatten slightly, then transfer to a p a r c h m e n t - l i n e d b a k i n g sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. bake, rotating sheets mid- way, for 12 to 15 minutes at 325F, or until cookies are puffed. For the filling: in an elec- tric mixer with the paddle a t t a c h m e n t , b e a t s u g a r , reserved chestnuts, butter, vanilla and salt at medium- high speed 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of filling onto the bottom half of the cookies, then sandwich them by pressing gently. C o m p l e t e d c o o k i e s a r e best eaten the day they are made. Roasted chestnuts ready to be sold in an Italian street (Photo: Michele Ursi/Dreamstime) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Chestnuts: a staple on holiday tables cook, the magazine suggests scoring the shell at its widest point. I n a d d i t i o n t o b e i n g a C h r i s t m a s m e a l f a v o r i t e , chestnuts also associated with death in parts of Cal- abria, Marche and Val d'Aos- ta, where they're sprinkled with sugar and grappa and flamed to take on a dark, funereal color. T r a d i t i o n a l c h e s t n u t p o l e n t a f r o m T u s c a n y includes manifregoli (with pecorino cheese and olive oil), and vinata (chestnut flour cooked in wine). The flour lacks gluten to bind the d o u g h t o g e t h e r , s o i t i s blended with wheat flour for bread and biscuits. Casta- gnaccio, a dense

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