In Vienna, winter equals chestnuts. Yeah, and snow, delayed busses and pre-christmas shopping sprees too, but mostly chestnuts. Johannes already told you about the best chestnut hut in town, now I’m going one step further. I’ll give you a detailed briefing on how to roast some chestnuts on your own, in the privacy of your own home. Not only does this allow you to enjoy this fine delicacy without having it to buy outside - you know, the cold place, as opposed to your warm apartment - but you also can make as many as you want, to share them with friends and lovers, or to EAT THEM ALL BY YOURSELF HA HA HA MINE THEY’RE ALL MINE MY CHESTNUTS HARR… sorry. Anyway, here’s what you do:
1.) Obtain some chestnuts. You should be able to get them at any larger supermarket when they’re in season (From autumn to spring). Remove the worm-eaten and damaged ones.
2.) Now comes the tricky and annoying, but necessary part. If you put those nuts straight into the oven, they’ll explode - believe me, it’s not a pretty sight, and a bitch to clean, too (Hey, even I was young once.). So, preheat your oven to about 225°C (That’s about 437°F for all you crazy Americans out there), and proceed to make a cut in each and every chestnut. You can either make a cross cut, which is the classic way to do it and allows for easier opening once they’re done…
…or you can be lazy and make a simple horizontal cut on the curved side of the chestnut - this can be done pretty fast by simply pressing the (sharp!) knife against the chestnut until you made a cut. If you go this way, be sure to move the knife up and down a little so that an opening is created.
Now, while the oven is still heating up, put the cut chestnuts into a bucket with warm water for 5-10 minutes. Beneath the sturdy brown peel, chestnuts have a layer of skin around the tasty core that you want to get to - a nasty, hairy, very bitter skin. By soaking the nuts in warm water, you make the skin much easier to peel off afterwards. It’s a good thing™, trust me.
Now, spread the chestnuts out on a baking tray, preferably with some aluminium foil underneath them, and put a cup with water on the tray - this keeps the chestnuts from drying up. Put this construct into the oven and let them roast.
After about 15-20 minutes, take one chestnut out every 5 minutes and check if it’s done. When they’re roasted to your liking, take them out and consume them immediately - they’re best when they are hot. But even if you let them cool, they are delicious - just make sure to peel them before they are cool, it’s easier that way.
