The Chestnut Enigma
Once a staple in America, this underappreciated delicacy is just now beginning to come out of its shell again.
Had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow been under that fabled spreading chestnut tree at night...
A hearty seasonal recipe adapted from the Croft Chestnuts website.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)
- 8 ounces bucatini pasta
- 8 ounces thick-cut, good-quality bacon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, halved and cut into ¼-inch half-moon slices
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 8 ounces (½ large head) savoy cabbage leaves, tough central stems removed, shredded
- 8 ounces boiled or roasted chestnuts, halved
- 4 ounces (1 small head) radicchio leaves, torn
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, cut sliced bacon into lardons, or pieces about ¼-inch wide. Cook lardons over medium-high heat in a large pan in their own fat. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add olive oil to the pan and sauté onion over medium heat until soft. Add butter and heat until melted, then add cabbage and chestnuts and cook until the cabbage leaves wilt. Add radicchio and cook, stirring, until just heated through but not fully wilted (to retain color and crunch).
Add bacon back to the pan, toss all ingredients together and season to taste. Spoon over hot bucatini, sprinkle with shaved Parmesan, and serve immediately.
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