I once created a cooking class, called 'Zen in the Kitchen'. Then wrote a book called the same. Then started the group with that name and the blog came after. All this happened in Turkish. Now is the time for the English version of it. Let's see what will cook here!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Roasted chestnuts


“There is probably a smell of roasted chestnuts and other good comfortable things all the time, for we are telling Winter Stories - Ghost Stories, or more shame for us - round the Christmas fire; and we have never stirred, except to draw a little nearer to it” says Charles Dickens, depending on this site. I like to think of it that way. Or may be not. I like the feeling of warm, roasted chestnuts, that are sold on the streets of Istanbul, the city of Nobel price winner Orhan Pamuk. On each corner, on cold winter days, you see a chestnut seller. A guy, young or not, roasts them on small, simple charcoal grill (or whatever you name it). Usually, you pay a lot more than you'd pay for raw chestnuts but hey, that's the beauty of it. It's cold outside, your hands are cold, your heart gets cold and your nose cannot resist the smell of the roasted chestnuts. You pay the money, you get your little paper bag, full of warm, roasted chestnuts and you start whistling your favorite song, between the bites. What a wonderful life, isn't it? I love winter just because of roasted chestnuts. Otherwise, I can live without it...

7 comments:

Patricia Scarpin said...

Tijen, what a nice post!
I have eaten chestnuts on their own but have never cooked nor baked with them.

Barb McMahon and Alan Mailloux said...

They're also wonderful in a cream sauce with pasta (and bacon....)!

Tijen said...

Dear Patricia,
It's so easy to bake them or you can enjoy boiled chestnuts too. I love it both ways..
*
Barb,
It must be. I neer tried it in pasta sauce but we made a great pilav with chestnuts for Thanksgiving dinner!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

I cannot resist them! Yummy!

Cheers,

Rosa

Anonymous said...

I got to know them when I was in Istanbul in september. They´re the sweetest perfection :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Tijen - thank you so much for your kind note on my site, your site is lovely and these roasted chestnuts remind me of the fabulous time I had in Istanbul! I do hope I can go back to the city sometime, iit'd be lovely to meet you then...

Mrs Ergül said...

my husband and friends were just telling me how wonderful roasted chestnuts that are being sold on the streets of Istanbul are! Oh no! transport me to Istanbul right now!