How lovely to watch chestnuts crackling and roasting on the fire, and how pleasant it is to look for them in the woods while finding peace and well-being for the body and mind!

Gathering chestnuts in the woods

September to November is the best time to explore the  Euganean Hills,  or other Italian hilly areas, in search of chestnuts. Contained within burrs, ripe chestnuts fall from the tree onto the ground.   The fallen fruit will be mature to the right point and ready for roasting.

When harvesting chestnuts, it is advisable to wear  thick  gloves to avoid pricking yourself on the burrs and to use your foot and a few  sticks  to get them out of their thorny shell.

It is advisable to use a jute  sack or a  wicker basket to carry the fruit. It is also  generally recommended that we take a maximum of  2 kilos of chestnuts, so that  others have the opportunity to enjoy them too.

Once brought home, chestnuts can be cooked on the stove in a special pan, or in a  traditional oven,  or a microwave. The dish created by the  Hotel Tritone Chef is baked in a  traditional oven; the dish includes pumpkin, another typical autumn product that is also cooked in the oven (for a different length of time).   

Guinea fowl breast with autumn chestnut heart, pumpkin quenelle, pomegranate, and a port and pear reduction

Ingredients

2 guinea fowl breasts

50 gr of sausage

8 chestnuts

200 gr of pumpkin

1 shelled pomegranate

 A glass of port

1 pear

Marjoram to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Measures for 4 people

Method

Bake the chestnuts in the oven.

Prepare the guinea fowl breast, removing the fillet. The fillet is then combined with the sausage, salt and pepper, and 3 of the cooked chestnuts. Blend all these ingredients together to obtain the filling.

Beat the guinea fowl breast, place the filling in the centre and wrap the breast on itself, tying it with string. Bake the stuffed breast in the oven at 160 ° for 20 minutes.

Cover the pumpkin in aluminium foil and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes at 160 °. At the end of cooking, pass it through an immersion blender to turn it into a purée.

While the pumpkin is cooking, start preparing the reduction by cutting the pear into cubes. Cook the pear cubes in a saucepan with the port until they are melted.

Serving

Scallop the guinea fowl breast by cutting it into slices. Form pumpkin quenelles and garnish with the 5 remaining chestnuts and the pomegranate grains. Sprinkle the meat with the port and pear reduction, and decorate with fresh marjoram.

To taste the Chef’s dishes and book your next stay at Hotel Tritone, you can write  here  or call (+39) 049 8668099