Chestnut stuffing

When I see fresh chestnuts at the farmer's market or in the produce aisle, I can't resist: I buy a bag. They remind me of the "chestnut fair" ("la vogue des marrons"), a traveling carnival that takes place every fall atop the Croix Rousse hill in Lyon. Amidst the noisy, flashy rides and cotton candy vendors are fire-roasted chestnut vendors. They roast fresh chestnuts from Ardèche, the nearby producing region, in big barrels over a crackling and smoking wood fire. They serve the hot, blackened chestnuts in cones made of newspaper. You warm up your hands by holding the cone for a few minutes, then shell the chestnuts one by one, trying not to burn your fingers, and eat them while still steamy. What a treat.

Chestnuts also remind me of Christmas meals. Chestnut-stuffed roast turkey, served with sautéed apples and more chestnuts, is one of the traditional Christmas dishes in my family. Here is a recipe for the stuffing, adapted from my 1991 Larousse de la Cuisine.

The recipe is for a 9-lb (4-kg) turkey. Since this attempt was just for fun (and for the 4 of us), I didn't buy a whole turkey but two drumsticks, and baked the stuffing (or dressing, rather) around them. The turkey pieces were simply seasoned with salt and pepper and brushed with sunflower oil. I baked them for about one hour at 350ºF (180ºC), adding the dressing about 20 minutes before the end.

• one bag fresh chestnuts (1.6 lbs or 740 g)
• 4 strips bacon, diced
  
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 thin, boneless pork chop (about 1/3 lb or 150 g), diced
  
• 1 apple (Pink Lady for example), thinly sliced
  
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg, 2 whole cloves, 1 pinch ground cinnamon

1. Cut a cross into each chestnut with a sharp, pointy knife.
2. Roast the chestnuts on a cookie sheet, cross facing up, in a 450ºF (230ºC) oven for about 30 minutes. Let them cool down a little then peel them (use your hands to break the shells and remove them). Crumble the chestnuts between your hands or chop them coarsely with a chef's knife.
   
3. Fry the diced bacon and chopped onion in a pan for a few minutes.
   
4. Add the diced pork and cook for a few more minutes.
   
5. Add the apple slices. Season with salt and spices. Toss well. Cook for a few minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and toss in the crumbled chestnuts.
7. Use as turkey or chicken stuffing, or bake separately as dressing for 20 minutes.
   

Potato gratin with bacon

A beautiful potato dish came out of the oven yesterday night, all steamy an bubbly. We took a few bites, then a few more, and we would have eaten the whole dish if it wasn't for this blog. I wanted to take a picture but there wasn't enough light... Now this cold leftover doesn't look half as nice as the dish did yesterday, but hopefully it gives you an idea... The potatoes literally melted in our mouths. Yum!

Serves 2
(prep time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 1 hour)

• 4 big Yukon gold potatoes
• 4 strips bacon
• 1/2 big yellow onion
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
  
• 1 tsp butter
• about 1 cup whole milk
• about 4 oz. (100 g) gruyère cheese
• salt, pepper, nutmeg

1. Peel the potatoes, rinse them and slice them. Dice the bacon. Chop the onion. Place all in a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Toss well.
3. Rub a glass or ceramic oven-safe dish with garlic (here's my dish). (Discard what remains of the garlic clove.)
4. Butter the dish, then throw in the potatoes and gently shake the dish from left to right to arrange the potatoes in an even layer.
5. Pour the milk.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes at 360ºF (180ºC).
7. Take out of the oven momentarily and grate gruyère cheese on top. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes or so, checking from time to time until the cheese forms a nice, golden crust.
8. Eat with a side of escarole salad.

Soup du Jour

I love soup. It's my favorite comfort food in all seasons. And I love making soup as much as I like to eat it. What I find fascinating is that no two soups are ever alike. Mixing vegetables is very much like mixing colors, except that, contrary to paint, the soups' flavor combinations are as interesting and varied as their hues.

I'm starting a little series, called "soup du jour", where I'll tell you what vegetables went in my soup that day. I hope this will give you some ideas. The process is almost always the same: I sauté some onions (and sometimes leeks) in butter; add whatever other vegetables I happen to have handy; cover with water; add salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme; and simmer for about 30 minutes (or cook in a pressure cooker, like this one, for about 10 minutes). I usually mix blend my soups (that's how my kids like them best), but some soups are excellent when left chunky. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf and thyme before mixing blending.

Today's soup:

• 1 tsp butter
  
• 1/2 large yellow onion
• 1 bunch celery (stalks and leaves)
• 3 large carrots
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme
• salt, freshly ground black pepper