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Sweet Chestnut and Smoked Bacon Risotto
Scottish Chestnut season from October to December is the perfect time to go foraging for these delicious little nuts!
Autumn leaves in Perthshire were the inspiration for this week's sweet chestnut recipe on the Small City Recipes blog.
Small City Recipes offers up an earthy dish of smoked bacon, sweet chestnuts and risotto for a perfect Autumn supper.
Golden and Red Autumn Leaves from Perthshire on a clear blue sky inspired the sweet chestnut recipe for this week's blog.
Serve up this Autumnal risotto for a mid-week supper with a difference. Smoked Bacon, Sweet Chestnuts and some salty Parmesan for the balance.
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Chestnut & Smoked Bacon Risotto

At this time of year I'm making the most of the colours in the countryside before the leaves disappear from our trees. It was the spectacular colours and foliage of late autumn and the fallen husks of the chestnuts that inspired me to come up with this week’s dish.

This is a great, speedy, weekday autumnal supper with bold, earthy, flavours constrasting with the lovely creaminess of the rice. For me, the salty pancetta is the perfect ingredient to balance the flavours. 

If you’ve been foraging for chestnuts then why not roast your own? I was super busy and cheated a bit for this recipe by buying cooked, vacuum-packed chestnuts from Provender Brown on George Street.

A wonderful, comfort-food, dish to make you smile. Enjoy! 

Gill x

Preparation Time:
20 minutes
Cooking Time:
20 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 150g smoked streaky bacon, cut into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves chopped
  • 200g Arborio risotto rice
  • 800ml hot chicken stock
  • 75ml of brandy
  • large knob of butter
  • 100g of Parmesan grated plus extra to decorate
  • 100g cooked and peeled chestnuts (I used vacuum packed ready to use chestnuts)
  • salt and pepper to season

    METHOD

    1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan, add the onion and bacon and fry for 3 minutes.
    2. Next, add in the celery, risotto rice and thyme.
    3. Stir well to coat the rice grains before adding a ladelful of chicken stock.
    4. Stir well and add more each time as the liquid is absorbed.
    5. Keep doing this until all the stock is used and then pour in the brandy and stir until the rice is tender.
    6. Remove from the heat and add the chestnuts, butter, parmesan and seasoning.
    7. Serve the risotto immediately garnished with extra parmesan cheese.

    NICKI'S TUPPENCEWORTH

    A gorgeous recipe for foragers and lovers of true Autumnal flavours. Gill has absolutley gone for the quick and easy option of nipping into Provender Brown and speaking to Diane and Co but if you fancy roasting your own then its easy peasy! 
     
    The sweet chestnut season in Scotland runs from October until about December and you'll find them in abundance in woods and forests everywhere. Our top tip would be to ensure you know exactly what a sweet chestnut looks like as confusuing it with a horse chestnut is not a pleasant experience!

    Preparing Sweet Chestnuts to Eat

    Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

    Look for fresh, healthy, chestnuts with shiny shells for the best flavour. 

    One the underside, use a sharp paring knife and cut a cross into the nut. You're aiming for it to go through the skin and the papery layer to the area around the flesh.  This will make it easier to peel when they're roasted.
     
    Place in a roasting tin and cook for 30 minutes.  Peel away the tough outer skin (this is easiest when they are still a bit warm) and the papery layer to get to the sweet kernel in the middle.
     
    You can eat these like this or add to many recipes including Gill's fabulous risotto! 
     
    Please do share this with your friends, and share your photographs and ideas with us. We'd love to see them. As always, tag the #PerthLoveFest and we'll scatter them around our own social media.
     
    Nicki X
    Small City Parklands Pub and Beer Garden

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    We've scoured the archives and come up with our top 5 g
    May 20th Wednesday

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    May 19th Tuesday

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    This list brings together the food outlets currently open In
    April 22nd Wednesday

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