Chestnut Hazelnut Pasta Food

HAZELNUT & OREGANO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta for 1 min less than pack instructions.
• Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat then, once golden, add the oil, garlic, oregano and three quarters of the lemon zest. Stir so that everything is well coated, cook for 30 secs or so, then stir in the cream and take off the heat.
• Drain the pasta straight into the frying pan, adding a little of the cooking water to the pan. Stir through the cheese, season well with black pepper, then toss everything together and serve immediately with the remaining lemon zest scattered over the top.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE & CHESTNUT PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and fry the onion for 5 mins. Once starting to soften, add the sausagemeat and chestnuts, and fry for another 10-12 mins, breaking the meat up with a wooden spatula or spoon as you fry it. Keep the heat quite high and stir often.
• When the meat and chestnuts are golden brown, add the garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds, and cook for 2 mins more. Splash in the wine, let most of it boil away, then tip in the passata. Cover and simmer the sauce for 10 mins while you boil the pasta in plenty of salted water, following pack instructions.
• Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta well. Toss the pasta, 3 tbsp of the water, the ragu and most of the parsley together, then season to taste. Share between bowls, add a grinding of black pepper, the remaining parsley, then a handful of Parmesan shavings.

CHESTNUT FLOUR CREPES (GLUTEN- AND WHEAT-FREE)

Steps:

• Whisk milk, eggs, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil together in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle in the chestnut flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well to avoid lumps, until batter is a liquid consistency. Whisk vigorously; pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.
• Heat cooking oil in an 8-inch crepe pan over medium-high heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of batter; swirl batter around to cover the entire surface. Cook until the edges have browned and are easily loosened with a spatula, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

PASTA WITH RADICCHIO, GORGONZOLA AND HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1½ cups pasta cooking water, and drain.
• Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Toast the hazelnuts, stirring frequently so they do not burn, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and set aside and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.
• Heat the olive oil in the 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the radicchio and cook until it begins to wilt and browns in spots, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the gorgonzola and 1/2 cup pasta water, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes more. The water should emulsify the cheese and create a velvety texture.
• Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine with the sauce, adding 1/4 cup pasta water or more as needed until it's glossy with sauce, about 1 minute more. Add the hazelnuts and half the parsley and toss again to combine. Top with remaining parsley and season with flaky salt. Pass grated cheese at the table, if desired.

CHESTNUT-HAZELNUT PASTA

Steps:

• Bring large pot of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil; add 2 tablespoons oil. In large skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil and butter over low heat. Add shallots and chestnuts; saute until shallots are tender and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add wine, stock, and cream; raise heat to high, and cook until liquid is reduced by one-third, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, drop pasta into boiling water; stir. Cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.
• Lower heat of cream mixture to medium low; stir in hazelnuts, thyme, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Season with salt and pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Add pasta, toss, and remove from heat. Divide pasta among four plates; drizzle sauce on top. Garnish with pine nuts and the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

CHESTNUT-HAZELNUT TARTS

Steps:

• For the Chestnut Sauce
• Put the milk, chestnut puree, crème fraîche, and salt in a blender. Blend until very smooth.
• Scrape into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve the dessert or for up to 2 days.
• For the Tarts
• Divide the dough in half and roll each piece out into a rectangle about 9 x 14 inches and 1/16 inch thick. Place the dough on parchment-lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut the dough into 3 1/2-inch circles and line twelve 2 1/4-inch tart rings with the dough. Set on a Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 425°F or 400°F on convection.
• Whisk the crème fraîche, sugar, and flour together.
• Trim the excess pastry and prick the shells-bottom and sides-with a fork. Put some chopped marrons glacés and hazelnuts in each shell and spoon in the crème fraîche mixture, filling the shells no more than one-quarter full. Dust lightly with cinnamon.
• Bake the tarts until the shells are golden brown and the filling is translucent, about 14 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking. The filling will bubble up and probably overflow and then subside as you bake the tarts. Let cool for a few minutes, then remove the tart rings. Slide the tarts back into the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, to crisp the outside of the pastry.
• To Serve
• Spoon some chestnut sauce on each plate. Top with a tart and garnish with hazelnuts and marrons glacés.

CHESTNUT PASTA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, whole wheat flour, salt, nutmeg and pepper; mix. Make a well in the center and add eggs and 2 tablespoons olive oil; beat well. In a bowl combine chestnut puree and 1/2 cup water; add to egg mixture. Incorporate flour and egg mix. Dough will be very stiff. Adjust with more flour or water. Knead for 10 minutes and allow dough to rest for 5 minutes.
• Cut off a handful of dough. With a rolling pin, roll 6 inch wide strips, 1/16" thick. Use a pasta machine if you have one. Dust strips with flour. Allow to slightly dry on muslin cloth. Cut into long pasta 1/4" wide. Dry for 30 minutes.
• Add pasta to a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water with a tablespoon of oil. Boil for 5 minutes; drain. Mix pasta with olive oil, minced garlic, Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

PASTA WITH CHESTNUTS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Using a paring knife, make a horizontal cut on the flat side of each chestnut. Place them in boiling water to cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove them from the water a few at a time and peel while still hot.
• Soak the mushrooms in about 1 1/2 cups of very hot water. For the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it.
• Place half the butter in a skillet, turn the heat to medium-high, and a minute later, add the shallots. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Chop the chestnuts into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks, then measure about a cup. Add them to the skillet, along with a little more salt.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chestnuts deepen in color, about 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the water; strain and reserve the liquid. Chop the mushrooms, and add them to the skillet; cook, stirring, for a minute or two, then add the strained liquid. Turn the heat to low, and season to taste with salt and lots of black pepper.
• Cook the pasta until tender but not mushy. If the chestnut sauce is too thick, add a little of the pasta water to it when the pasta is nearly done. Stir in the remaining butter.Drain the pasta, and dress with the sauce. Serve immediately.

HAZELNUT PASTE

Steps:

• Coarsely chop the hazelnuts.
• In a food processor or blender, finely grind about 1/3 of the nuts at a time, until mealy.
• Add egg whites, powdered sugar and liqueur.
• Blend until paste forms.
• Wrap and store in a covered container, up to 2 weeks.

SWISS CHARD PASTA WITH TOASTED HAZELNUTS AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Add the hazelnuts to a small skillet over medium heat. Toast them slowly, shaking the pan often, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove them from the skillet, and when they are cool enough to handle, roughly chop the nuts.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to a large bowl.
• In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add the garlic and use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture constantly until the butter begins to brown and have a slight nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Give the mixture a good stir, and then set it aside to infuse for about 5 minutes longer away from the heat.
• Pour the butter mixture (scraping the garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes) all over the warm pasta. If the pasta feels a bit dry, add a touch of the reserved cooking liquid. Toss to combine and set aside.
• Set the same skillet (without cleaning it) over medium-high heat. Add the chard stems and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chard leaves and continue to cook, tossing the mixture every so often, until the greens begin to wilt and turn bright green, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Add a touch more butter or oil to the pan if it dries out too much.
• Add the Swiss chard and hazelnuts to the pasta and toss it all together. Add the Parmesan shavings and the balsamic vinegar (if you're using it); toss. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Note
• Localize it: You can use kale instead of chard, and any nut will work in place of the hazelnuts. Fresh out of balsamic vinegar? Red wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice will work.