Chestnuts on the stove and in the microwave

I grew up in Boston with roasting chestnuts, so I know firsthand about their delicious flavor and of course how to prepare them. The Italians in our family score the nut only once across the round belly. It is usually a score that is more than halfway across the nut. When it is fully cooked, the outer shield folds in half, exposing the nut. Some nuts, because of their shape, are difficult to open no matter how you cook them. When I was a kid we used the top of a wood stove to cook them, and sometimes my father took the iron grate off and lined up the nuts on an iron ledge so they would get closer to the fire.

I have been experimenting over the years with cooking them. Roasting is obviously the best way. But I also cook them in the microwave oven for about two minutes. The size of the nut and how many I cook determine how long I cook them. I cook six to eight at a time. Two minutes is about just right. If I cook more, I increase the time but not by much. No one can tell a roasted nut from a microwaved nut.

Hank Foresta

Glendora