Maria’s Chestnut Stuffing

We would love to hear how your Chestnut Stuffing turns out, let us know at: [email protected]

Method

1. Peel the onion and chop finely.
   
2. Wash and de-string the celery and chop into tiny dice.
3. Chop the bacon into small pieces.
4. Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion, celery and bacon until soft and lightly golden then leave to cool.
5. Roughly chop the whole chestnuts.
6. Finely chop the parsley.
7. Grate the zest of the lemon.
8. Place the chopped chestnuts, parsley and lemon zest into a large bowl with the chestnut puree, breadcrumbs and thyme and mix well.
9. Crack the egg into a small cup and beat well with a fork. 
10. Add the egg to the chestnut mixture with the cooked bacon, onion and celery and the beaten egg.
11. Mix thoroughly using clean hands and season to taste. 
12. The mixture can be frozen at this stage to defrost in the fridge and use later. Alternatively use it to stuff the neck of a turkey or pack it into a greased loaf tin and bake at 180c / gas mark 5 for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown. Also makes lovely chestnut stuffing balls which will take 15 – 20 minutes to cook.