Chestnut and lentil stew

Ingredients needed for the chestnut and lentil stew

I tasted chestnuts for the first time relatively late in my life and it seems I’ve been trying to catch up in the recent years. I see know how versatile chestnuts are and it’s hard to believe that until recently I only ate them cooked or roasted.

Some time ago, I came across an Italian chestnut and lentil stew recipe in a culinary or women’s magazine that didn’t leave my head until the fall. I just had to try it… So, after buying chestnuts for 9 Euros per kilogram (I was shocked by the price), I happily went back home to experiment. I was looking for similar recipes on the internet, because I didn’t have the original one that I mentioned earlier… In the end, I combined several recipes :).

Chestnuts can be boiled or baked in advance, it’s up to you. I boiled them for 20 minutes in water. I then cut each of them in half and removed the kernel with a teaspoon. This method doesn’t preserve the kernel whole but I made an effort for a few of them, as you can see in the picture.

This stew is with a great aroma of thyme and balsamic vinegar, it’s super tasty and satiating and it’s worth every minute of work!

Another great recipe idea is this CHESTNUT CREAM SOUP that you might want to try. There are so many recipes with lentils that you might want to use the search option and type “lentil” – just few examples are VEGAN LENTIL COCONUT CURRY, LENTIL SALAD WITH ROASTED BEETROOT and VEGAN SHEPHERDS PIE

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And here is how to make this tasty Chestnut and lentil stew step by step

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5 from 5 votes

Chestnut and lentil stew

If you love chestnuts and you want to cook something with them, you should definitely try this interesting and tasty Italian stew recipe with lentils and chestnuts.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 3 minutes

Servings 2 portions

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils
• 300 g chestnuts
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbs dried boletes
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 ts thyme
• 2 cups water or broth
• 2-3 pieces bay leaves
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Parsley for sprinkling

Instructions

• Soak the mushrooms in a cup of boiling water for 20 minutes.
• Wash the chestnuts and place them in a saucepan with warm water and cook for about 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, peel and chop the onion, garlic and carrot. In a large frying pan heat the olive oil and stew the onion and carrots for about 10 minutes. Finally add the garlic to cook for about a minute.
• Add the lentils, water, vinegar and spices and let them simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Take out and cut the mushrooms and add them to the lentils. Do not throw away the water from the boletes, pour it in as well.
• Let the chestnuts cool slightly and peeled them off as quickly as possible. Add them to the lentils. When the lentils are fully cooked and the water is almost evaporated, sprinkle with fresh parsley.