Chestnuts are now in season, don’t wait for December, they are good enough to eat now. They are a great source of vitamin C as well as vitamins B1, B2, and B6 and folic acid. Choose firm, shiny chestnuts to create this delicious recipe.

Roasted Chestnut and Mushroom Pate;
This recipe makes a big bowl of pate, which will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 medium parsnip, peeled & diced
  • 2 tbsps olive oil
  • 250g cooked chestnuts, chopped
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 150g shitake or wild mushrooms, sliced
  • 25g butter (optional)
  • 2 tbsps brandy
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • handful of flat parsley, chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • sea salt

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6.

Roast the parsnip in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 20 minutes, until soft and beginning to colour. In a large frying pan, fry the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, until soft, but not browned. Add the garlic and fry for a minute.

Add the shitake or wild mushrooms and fry for another minute, then add the chestnut mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are all an even dark colour.

Stir in the cooked parsnips, chestnuts, butter, brandy and lemon juice.

Gently fry for 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Leave to cool and then puree in a food processor to a chunky consistency.

Season to taste and add the parsley just before serving.

Serve with rye bread, wholegrain or melba toast.

In season this month:

Fruits, Nuts & Fungi
Apples, blackberries, chestnuts, elderberries, figs, grapes, pears, quince, tomatoes, walnuts. Lots of lovely mushrooms; chanterelles, chestnuts, horse mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, parasol mushrooms, puffballs, giant shaggy ink caps and summer truffles

Vegetables & Herbs
Beetroot, borlotti beans, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chard, courgettes, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins & squash, rocket, salsify, scorzonera, spinach, turnips

Meat & Game
Duck, wild goose, grouse, guinea fowl, hare, mallard, partridge, pheasant, rabbit, venison, wood pigeon

Fish & Shellfish
Cod, crab, eels, lobster, mackerel, mussels, oysters, prawns, scallops, sea bass, sprats, squid, brown and rainbow trout

Going out of season
Aubergine, beetroot, butternut squash, chicory, cobnut, damsons, elderberries, fennel, fig, globe artichoke, lamb, mackerel, pear, plums, radish, raspberry, rocket, sweetcorn, watercress

www.suzannejames.co.uk

Suzanne is a professional chef, wife and mother who has lived in South East London all her life.

This article first appeared in the October 2019 issue of SE22 magazine.