From the Farmers’ Market is a series on Barista Kids brought to you by Alison J. Bermack the founder of Cooking With Friends. This is the last in this series for the season.
I walked around the farmer’s market zombie-like this past Saturday, which I suppose was appropriate given Halloween is less than a week away. With the end of the harvest looming, I knew my trips to the farmer’s market for “farm to table” ingredients would soon be replaced by less stimulating visits to the grocery store. Piles of snow-white cauliflower contrasted starkly with richly colored mums, creating a fantastic display. I will miss the sights and sounds of the open air markets, the blending of voices as background noise and cooking tips I get from jovial farmers. I couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy as I wandered from stand to stand.
But if there are any benefits to the end-of-the-season, it’s the lack of lines and marvelous autumn finds to be had. The jumbo sugar-glazed apple cider and pumpkin donuts found at Vacchiano Farms are a not-to-be-missed weekend breakfast treat.
I spotted chestnuts at two of the stands this past Saturday, which immediately triggered a vision inspired by the comforting lyrics: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose.” While silently humming the tune of this old Christmas favorite, I just knew I’d have to see what this “roasting on an open fire” thing was all about.
Back home, my 5-year-old was most intrigued as I dumped a pile of acorn-like nuts on the table. “Do chestnuts come from a chest?” he asked? “No,” I explained, “they come from trees and we can eat them just like squirrels do.” That’s all it took for his interest to take hold, as we began gathering kindling so we could make a fire in the backyard chiminea. We cut “x’s” in the flat side of each nut and placed them in a cast iron skillet and into the fire. As the nuts began heating, we could have been on the city streets in Manhattan, as we inhaled the familiar and comforting aroma. It smelled so darn good that I was sure neighbors, catching a whiff of our roasting nuts would stop by.
But they didn’t. It was just me with my little guy sitting on my lap, watching and listening to the crackling fire and a pan full of sizzling nuts. After about 20 minutes, we salted and tasted them together. “They taste just like potatoes,” my 10-year-old daughter observed as she came out back for a taste. She was kind of right. The consistency was much like a potato, as was the starchy flavor. It was less about the taste of the nuts themselves than the entire experience of the day, that we most enjoyed.
And as we begin hearing the holiday song played in malls and on radio stations as we drive about town, I do believe we will have an image of “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” which will be embedded in our minds forever.
Open Fire Roasted Chestnuts
Chestnuts
Open Fire
Heavy Duty Skillet
- Remove any visible dirt from the chestnuts.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut an “x” in the flat side of each of the chestnut.
- Place “x” side up into the skillet.
- Roast in a heavy duty skillet over an open fire for about 15 minutes, shaking pan occasionally.
- Cool slightly and peel outer shell and inner layer of skin while still warm.
- Sprinkle with salt and eat or using in a recipe that requires chestnuts.
