Chestnuts with Fennel and Black Truffel (Castañas con Hinojo y Trufa Negra)

The chestnut is a seed, as we mentioned in another entry. It is also a product of Northern Spain. It is encapsulated on a prickly shell.It can be roasted, baked or boil. In this recipe we will roast, but it works as well boiled.

Photo by Benjamin Gimmel

Fennel is a bulb and has long stems, it can get as high as four feet. It has yellow flowers, and you find it along the Spanish Mediterranean coast growing wild. When I was a kid we would get a stem and chew on it, on our way to the beach. For us it had an anisette flavor, minus the alcohol. Fennel is used with fish, and the Scandinavians use it a lot. It is very good to treat different illnesses and is very digestive.

Photo from Sabor Gourmet

Fennel flowers

The wonderful combination of flavors from chestnuts, fennel, black truffle, and walnuts make a great side dish or a hot salad.

                                  

Ingredients:

Butter

12 Roasted Chestnuts

1 Fennel Bulb Chopped or in Julienne

1/2 Onion Finely Chopped

Walnuts

Black Truffle

2 Teaspoons Sugar

In a sauce pan we add the butter, the onions, and fennel, add butter as needed. When the fennel is tender we add the chestnuts and we sauté for a couple of minutes, then we add the walnuts and the two spoons of sugar. Lastly, add the truffle chopped or sliced, and sauté for another couple of minutes. You can infuse the butter with the truffle before hand.