Five ways to cook Marradi's Marron Buono Chestnuts

The Marron Buono di Marradi is one of the chestnuts most prized in Italy. Its quality is determined by a significant sugar content and notable sweetness. Additionally, it has a very compact flour and an extraordinary creaminess on the palate. This year we decided to move to the province of Florence to “collect chestnuts” for you!

We arrived in a beautiful village in the Alto Mugello - we are in Tuscany - in an enchanted and still unspoiled valley where silent, monumental centuries-old chestnut trees live. But let’s see how we can use Marron Buono in the kitchen to fully appreciate all of their organoleptic characteristics.

Roasted chestnuts over the fire. It is the most popular and well-known method. If we do the operation directly on the fireplace at home, it allows the chestnuts to also take on a slightly smoky flavor from the embers. Otherwise, they can be roasted in a pierced pot which, instead of being placed on the embers, sits on the minimized flame of the stove.

Regardless of which method is used, it is first necessary to score the chestnuts with a small knife. This must be done carefully: it is an operation that affects the cooking of the chestnuts. The score should not penetrate too deeply into the flesh but should stay as close as possible to the skin. The incision should not be too long but at least one or one and a half centimeters, depending on the size of the fruit. At this point, place the chestnuts in the pierced pot so that all the chestnuts touch the bottom. The pot must be shaken often to prevent some of the chestnuts from burning.

To facilitate the opening of the chestnuts, my grandmother taught me to wet my hands with water and let drops fall on the chestnuts while cooking. Once or twice at most. The cooking time is not predetermined. It varies based on the volume of the chestnut, the cooking temperature, the thickness of the pot, and the holes in the pot, etc. In short, it requires careful attention. Once cooked, wrap them in a dry cloth or place them in a paper bread bag. Let them cool, then enjoy your meal.

Express chestnuts. If you don’t have a fireplace or a pierced pot, there is a less poetic but equally effective way to cook Marron Buono di Marradi chestnuts: the microwave or the oven. For the microwave, simply place the scored chestnuts in for 30-120 seconds at 700-800W. Stir them at least once. In the oven, the scored chestnuts cook in about 10-15 minutes at a temperature of at least 200°C.

Stewed chestnuts. Boiled chestnuts are primarily made to obtain flour to use later for castagnacci, meat sauces, or the famous Mont Blanc. They are placed in boiling water for about 20-30 minutes. There’s no need to score them; otherwise, all the starch will come out. They must be peeled immediately after being removed from the boiling water: never when cold. They can be eaten as is, or you can blend them to make excellent creams.

Chestnut Velouté. The Marron Buono di Marradi are perfect for making delicious creams and veloutés. One in particular that could summarize the seasonal meaning of the fruit is the chestnut cream with porcini mushrooms and crispy guanciale.

The chestnuts are roasted as explained earlier. Then prepare some vegetable broth and immerse the chestnuts in it. Let them rest in the broth for about ten minutes or until they soften. Prepare the porcini mushrooms by slicing them fresh or using dried porcini, properly rehydrated. Oil-packed ones are not recommended. Place them in a pot where you have previously added Extra Virgin Olive Oil and optionally a clove of garlic. If you can, use a sweet garlic such as red from Sulmona or Nubia. Sauté them for about ten minutes, then prepare the guanciale by cutting it into not too thick strips. Place it in a pan and sauté it to remove the fatty liquid. At this point, after discarding the melted fat, place the strips on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Leave them in the oven at 200°C for 5 to a maximum of 10 minutes.

At this point, blend the softened Marron Buono to obtain a nice dense cream. Now serve it topped with the porcini mushrooms and guanciale, along with rosemary, which provides a lovely aromatic sensation.

Cups of Chestnut Cream and Wild Sour Cherries. Prepare the chestnut cream after boiling and peeling them of both skins. Then let it cool and in a bowl mix with pieces of Modica Chocolate with cinnamon. Next, place the cream into small cups using a piping bag. Top with Wild Sour Cherries from Cantiano with some juice. Present everything with a sprig of mint and have fun.

Bernardo Pasquali

S&M