Today I will show you another version of the autumn risotto with my favourite baked chestnuts. They are tasty by themselves, as an appetizer, and as an addition to a variety of autumn dishes. They are usually added to poultry stuffing or baked with meat. But there are also completely unexpected ones: recently I even tried a chocolate truffle cake with chestnuts! A little reminder for you: the chestnut season is October – December. Choose shiny, firm, and heavy chestnuts, with a minimum of space between the skin and the “flesh” inside.
Today I will show you another version of the autumn risotto with my favourite baked chestnuts. They are tasty by themselves, as an appetizer, and as an addition to a variety of autumn dishes. They are usually added to poultry stuffing or baked with meat. But there are also completely unexpected ones: recently I even tried a chocolate truffle cake with chestnuts! A little reminder for you: the chestnut season is October – December. Choose shiny, firm, and heavy chestnuts, with a minimum of space between the skin and the “flesh” inside.- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 25-30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: pasta & risotto
- Cookware: copper saucepan, wooden spoon
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 240 g risotto rice
- 200 g duck fillet
- 8 baked chestnuts, peeled and finely chopped
- 150 g butter
- ½ medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 100 ml white wine
- 800 ml chicken stock
- 40 g parmesan, grated
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt
Cooking method
Step 1
Skin the duck fillet and set aside the skin. Trim the fillet meat from tendons, veins, cut into small pieces, season with salt and pepper. Put the frying pan over low heat, put the duck skin in it, wait for the fat to melt, and remove the skin from the pan. Add the meat in the melted fat, fry it slightly and set aside.
Step 2
Put a saucepan with stock on low heat so that it constantly simmers. Melt 100g butter in a separate saucepan over low heat. Add onion and sauté until it is soft and translucent but doesn’t change its colour. Add garlic and stir. Add rice. Stir constantly and fry until the rice becomes transparent.
Step 3
Increase heat to medium. Pour the white wine into a saucepan with rice and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice. Stir in the stock, ladle by ladle, so that each time it covers the rice completely. Constantly stirring, wait for each addition to absorb before adding the next. When about half of the stock remains, add the chestnuts and duck. Continue cooking the risotto in the same way until the stock is completely absorbed. The rice should be al dente when cooked. Remove risotto from heat, add 50g butter, parmesan and stir vigorously. Put the risotto on plates and serve immediately.
My tips and tricks:
To bake the chestnuts, heat the oven to 200°C. Place the chestnuts on the flat side and carefully cut each one on top. You need to cut the skin and not damage the inside. Place the chestnuts on a baking sheet so that they are not too close together and place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. They will be ready when the rind of each chestnut has opened slightly, and they turn golden brown inside. After that, let them cool down a bit. Warm chestnuts are much easier to peel with your hands than when they are hot or completely cool. And then you can give free rein to your imagination, well, or eat the entire fragrant first portion, and in the meantime put the second in the oven 😉
- 240 g risotto rice
- 200 g duck fillet
- 8 baked chestnuts, peeled and finely chopped
- 150 g butter
- ½ medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 100 ml white wine
- 800 ml chicken stock
- 40 g parmesan, grated
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt
- Skin the duck fillet and set aside the skin. Trim the fillet meat from tendons, veins, cut into small pieces, season with salt and pepper. Put the frying pan over low heat, put the duck skin in it, wait for the fat to melt, and remove the skin from the pan. Add the meat in the melted fat, fry it slightly and set aside.
- Put a saucepan with stock on low heat so that it constantly simmers. Melt 100g butter in a separate saucepan over low heat. Add onion and sauté until it is soft and translucent but doesn’t change its colour. Add garlic and stir. Add rice. Stir constantly and fry until the rice becomes transparent.
- Increase heat to medium. Pour the white wine into a saucepan with rice and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice. Stir in the stock, ladle by ladle, so that each time it covers the rice completely. Constantly stirring, wait for each addition to absorb before adding the next. When about half of the stock remains, add the chestnuts and duck. Continue cooking the risotto in the same way until the stock is completely absorbed. The rice should be al dente when cooked. Remove risotto from heat, add 50g butter, parmesan and stir vigorously. Put the risotto on plates and serve immediately.