Nothing better than Roasted Chestnuts

Yesterday my brother Peter brought back old memories from my home country. He told me that he will have chestnuts for dinner. These kind of chestnuts you will find in the southern part of Europe, like Austria, where I was born. When fall sneaks in and colors the leaves into bright yellow, orange and shiny red it’s chestnut season. Harvesting them is a little “dangerous”, you always will get in touch with the needles of the skin, protecting the nuts. So- peeling them takes a little while. But with a pair of leather gloves, the good ones, you’re protected. I takes a basket full to feed four persons. Next step is to cut them crosswise. That’s ought to be done with a sharp knife, the cut needs to be on the brightest part of the fruits, or else they would crash uncontrolled when heated. Wait till it’s dark- for the atmosphere- that’s part of the recipe, light the fire, then put the chestnuts into a big iron pan. Shake it loose and make sure there are stories told, could be fairy tales or old memories. Shake the chestnuts again- loose. One more story to be told. Now they are well done. - Nothing better than roasted chestnuts!