Care to share your chestnut stuffing recipe please? I went chestnut picking this past weekend and look forward to using them for Thanksgiving. Thanks!
Okay this is embarrassing because I haven't made my own stuffing from scratch in years nor roasted and peeled the chestnuts in the last few years either. I just doctor a bag of the Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Cubed stuffing. I saute onions and celery in the butter, use chicken broth for the liquid, and buy a pouch or two of the roasted, peeled chestnuts at Whole Foods which I chop and add to the stuffing just before I stuff the bird.
The other thing we like to make with the chestnuts is red cabbage. This is a great side dish anytime but looks particularly festive at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don't really use a recipe but you can probably find one online.
I saute a large thinly sliced sweet onion in a little oil or real butter until the onions get soft. The heads of red cabbage aren't usually very big so I try to find one that is about the size of a small cantaloupe. Add the thinly sliced red cabbage, a scant quarter cup of packed brown sugar, a half cup of apple cider vinegar, and a third cup of water. I add a little cinnamon, ginger and allspice too. Maybe a heaping quarter teaspoon but no more than half teaspoon. Cover and cook for about 35-40 minutes under low heat, until the cabbage gets tender. I start with medium heat and reduce the temperature once it starts to simmer. Stir occasionally. Then add a couple of apples chopped into small pieces and the chestnuts (chop them in bigger pieces) and cook for another 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. You can do everything up to adding the apples and chestnuts the day before and finish it off while you are cooking the potatoes and vegetables for the meal. It doesn't have to be served immediately so it can sit in the pot at the back of the stove off a burner to stay warm while you are getting the rest of the dishes ready.