Roasted chestnuts with milk / castañes asaes con leche

[Terechu]

I’ll be having roasted chestnuts and a glass of milk for dinner tonight. This has been a traditional supper in Asturias for hundreds of generations and I can understand why. Chestnuts are sweet and filling, cost next to nothing, or rather are free for the taking if you like to walk along country lanes and gather them yourself. The “chestnut wind” has been blowing mightily this moth and there are heaps of them by the road side.

The best places to gather them that I know of are the Nalón and Aller Valleys. They have awesome chestnut groves. Piloña and Parres counties are also famous for their varieties.

I usually roast about ½ kg or one pound for 2 persons. Since I presume that none of you have a coal range anymore, here’s how to do it in conventional ovens:
Preheat oven to approx. 250ºC or 450ºF, make a small cut in the skin to keep it from bursting when heated, and spread the chestnuts on the baking tray.

Let them roast on one side for about 10-12 min. and then turn them to roast on the other side (either directly by hand – using an oven mit, or with a spatula). When the skin is charred on both sides, the chestnuts are done (about 20-25 min.).

After taking them out, keep them warm wrapped in a kitchen towel. The bundle is usually placed in the middle of the kitchen table and everybody sits around with their milk and eats from the heap.
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Hoy voy a cenar castañes asaes con un vasu leche, una cena tradicional en Asturias durante cientos de generaciones. Les castañes son dulces, fartuquen y nun cuesten ná, si te gusta dir a la gueta per les caleyes. El aire les castañes ya sopló con fuerza esti mes y hay castañes a punta pala en les cunetes.

Los mejores sitios que yo conozco para dir a la gueta son los valles del Nalón y del Aller. Tienen unos castañeos impresionantes. Los concejos de Piloña y Parres tienen fama por la gran variedad que tienen.

Normalmente pongo ½ kg pa dos persones. Como supongo que ya nun tenéis nadie cocina de carbón, podéis asales asina:
Precalentar fornu a 250ºC , facer un corte en el pulgu pa que nun reviente al calentar, esparceles en la bandeja’l fornu.

Asar por un llau unos 10-12 min y dayos la vuelta pa que asen pel otru llau (a mano con una manopla, un rodillu, o con una espátula). Les castañes tan feches cuando el pulgu te quemáu per los dos llaos (unos 20-25 minutos).

Después de sacales, envolveles en un rodillu o trapu de cocina pa que nun enfrien. Normalmente pónense así en el centro la mesa y cada cual con su vasu leche va comiendo d’elles.