If we think of Asturian gastronomy, there are two main dishes that will come to mind: the fabada and the horny. The first, a fabes stew with sausages, is the essence of spoon kitchen in Asturias; While the second, a steplet stuffed with ham and cheese, has become an emblematic dish of northern Spain. However, Asturian cuisine goes far beyond these two delicacies.
Asturian dishes are mucos that, despite their importance, are sometimes relegated to the background. Among them we find the Power of chestnuts, a traditional stew with origin in rural cuisine in northern Spain. The chestnuts, with peasant roots, was an essential ingredient in the Asturian diet. It is a stew designed to give the necessary energy on winter days.
The chestnut pot is a traditional dish that, although it is not well known outside Asturias, represents the essence of Asturian cuisine. With strong flavors and simple ingredients, this stew is a real delight that you cannot miss.
Origin of this traditional dish
Before ingredients such as potatoes and fabes became popular, chestnut was a primary food in the area, due to its great energy value and good capacity for preservation.
In Asturias, Castaños forests abound, which justifies the relevance of its fruit in its gastronomy. They are used in various dishes such as stews. In the case of the chestnut pot, it is a subsistence dish, cooked over low heat and very simple ingredients. In the humblest houses he cooked alone with chestnuts and Berza, a fiber -rich vegetable.
Today, the chestnut pot has become a real culinary jewel, especially in cold days, making us connect with the past and reminding us of the importance of traditional dishes when creating the identity of a place.
Ingredients of our chestnut pot
The chestnut pot is a rich and easy -to -do dish, but that requires a slow preparation and that is cooking over low heat to integrate all flavors. With a little patience, we will get a perfect stew for the coldest winter days. There are several recipes when preparing the chestnut pot depending on the area or family, but the main ingredients that you will use for four diners are:
- 500 grams of chestnuts: Formerly, dry chestnuts were used, but in our recipe we will use fresh. This is the base ingredient of our stew.
- Berza leaves: it is a vegetable widely used in Asturian stews thanks to its flavor and texture.
- Two sausages, two black pudding and a piece of bacon. These two ingredients add the intense touch to the stew of the stew.
- A piece of pork
- 500 grams of potatoes: although in traditional recipes they were not included, they can be added to add forcefulness and thickness to the stew.
- Salt, water and a saffron envelope: they can not miss us to cook the pot on low heat and enhance the taste of the rest of the ingredients.
Recipe preparation
Start with the base ingredient of our stew: chestnuts. As we have advanced, you will use fresh chestnuts. To do this, you will have to make a small incision so that they do not get rid of during cooking. Hiérvelas for 10 minutes and attempts removing the peel and inner skin.
Then prepare in a large pot, the sausages, black pudding, bacon and pork next to the chopped vegetables. Cover the ingredients with water and take it to boil until the meat is tender. Let it cook over at least two hours, removing from time to time so that the flavors are mixed well.
In the last hour of cooking you must add the peeled potatoes so that they do not get rid of much, also incorporating the peeled chestnuts. Dissolve the saffron envelope in a little hot broth to later add it to the stew.
Once you have the stew prepared, try it, adjusting the salt to your liking. Let it stand a few minutes before serving for all flavors to be well integrated. The result is a dish with the sweetness of chestnuts and the intensity of sausages.
Another version of the chestnut pot
It is possible to prepare this dish without incorporating the Berza. In this other chestnut pot alternative the ingredients you will use are: 500 grams of fresh chestnuts, 200 grams of sausage, 150 grams of bacon, a bay leaf, an onion, two garlic cloves, 500 grams of potatoes, water, salt and pepper to taste.
For preparation you must follow a series of very simple steps:
- Prepare the chestnuts: Make a cut in the shell and cook them in boiling water for 10 minutes to peel them more easily.
- Cover the ingredients: in a large pot with plenty of water, introduce the chorizo, the bacon, the onion and the chopped garlic. Add the bay leaf and let it cook for a few minutes until they begin to brown and release all the juice.
- Add the potatoes: Pela and cut the potatoes into pieces that are not very small and put them in the pot along with the peeled chestnuts.
- Leave the cooking stew: add the salt and pepper to taste and let it cook over approximately 45 minutes. When the potatoes are tender and flavors have integrated well, you will have the stew ready to serve.
Asturian cuisine today
In recent years, Asturian cuisine has had a growing boom both nationally and internationally. Some traditional dishes such as the pot with chestnuts have resurfaced and took to haute cuisine thanks to their local products such as chestnut, beza and Asturian sausages.
In addition, gastronomic tourism has been a fundamental part of this popularity process. Thousands of tourists visit Asturias attracted by the richness of their gastronomy. Some local parties such as the chestnut party and the Fiesta de la Cider, contribute to this phenomenon.
There are also many Asturian restaurants that are beginning to integrate this type of traditional dishes into their cards, helping to position Asturian cuisine internationally.
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