114089 Sun Nov 02 12:15:37 -0800 2003 16 7 Chicago Area 0 620763 Anyone seen chestnut flour for sale in this city? Fox and Obel doesn't have it, but maybe a good italian grocery would. Any ideas? Thanks Sun Nov 02 12:15:37 -0800 2003 0 Hungry girl 1 620765 I've seen it at the Caputo Cheese Market. Speaking of which, I got a flyer saying their grand re-opening will be taking place next weekend, including mozzarella-making demonstrations in-house. I don't know if the butcher shop or the restaurant they're planning have opened yet, but I doubt it. -Ed Caputo Cheese Market 1931 N. 15th Avenue (One block north of North Ave) Melrose Park, IL 60160 (708) 450-0074 Sun Nov 02 13:07:26 -0800 2003 620763 0 Ed Fisher 1 620767 Caputo's on Harlem also has it. Sun Nov 02 13:20:41 -0800 2003 620763 0 annieb 1 620780 Chestnut flour? How wonderful! What's it used for? Sun Nov 02 23:52:28 -0800 2003 620763 0 Cathleen 2 620814 I've used it for crepes, cakes and something else that I am blanking on. It has an earthy flavor. Mon Nov 03 16:07:56 -0800 2003 620780 0 MAG 3 620901 It is also a major ingredient, and flour substitute for Ligurian pasta. Link: http://www.salon.com/wlust/pass/1997/12/22pass2.html Tue Nov 04 14:16:36 -0800 2003 620814 0 JeffB 4 620927 Chestnut flour gnocchi-yum! Tue Nov 04 18:10:53 -0800 2003 620901 0 RST 4 621040 Speaking of chestnuts, Vanille Patisserie is offering chestnut macarons for the holidays starting Dec 1. Vanille Patisserie's regular, if one can call anything made at VP regular, macarons are pure joy. Light, crisp, melt in-you-mouth. I am looking forward to trying the chestnut version. Enjoy, Gary Thu Nov 06 01:35:02 -0800 2003 620901 0 G Wiv 2 620929 Cathleen, sometimes chestnut flour is used to make gnocchi. I have never tried it because I could never find it. Great to have these recommendations! Thanks to all. --Joy Tue Nov 04 18:19:11 -0800 2003 620780 0 Joyful Foodie 1 620930 This is as much a question as an answer. Chestnuts are used in Korean cooking (Korea is one of the world’s major chestnut sources) and chestnut flour can be found at markets such as Chicago Food (3333 N Kimball). Can Korean chestnut flour be used interchangeably with Italian farina di castagne? From what I can tell, mainly Castanea crenata is cultivated in Korea while Castanea sativa (or crenata x sativa hybrids) is more common in Italy. I have to admit I’ve never cooked with chestnut flour but it sounds like a great ingredient. Tue Nov 04 18:35:33 -0800 2003 620763 0 Rene G 2 620943 In a book titled "Houses with Names" about the Italian immigrants to Highwood, there is much mention of chestnut flour. Many of the original immigrants were Modenese, and came here because of conditions of poverty that caused them, among other things. to have to eat chestnut flour pasta, gnocchi, etc. I must disclose that it was written by an acquaintance, whose grandparents were among the Italian immigrant community in Highwood. It is perhaps a commentary on the relative nature of scarcity/plenty and how foodstuffs become "dishes," with all of the social, economic, political, etc. values attached. I have for many years substituted the dried chestnuts available in Korean/Chinese markets for the more expensive ones found in Italian markets, for my chestnut soup that is made after Thanksgiving. I still do prefer the Italian for the very occasional dessert such as Monte Bianco, but that is perhaps just sentimentality on my part. The loss of the great chestnut forests in this land is a tragedy, on a scale that I can only recall equals the loss of the passenger pigeon or the buffalo. Tue Nov 04 22:44:47 -0800 2003 620930 0 annieb 3 620961 It really is too bad. I've read more than once that the American chestnuts were universally deemed superior to both the European and Asian versions. Is it the case that our chestnuts are "extinct"? Or is it just that the decimation made their use economically impossible? Wed Nov 05 10:49:15 -0800 2003 620943 0 JeffB 4 621022 While looking for information on Korean chestnut flour I came across this report, The International Chestnut Marketing Situation. Hidden among all the facts and figures is some slightly hopeful news about chestnut production in the US, particularly Michigan. For some semi-local chestnut sources take a look at: http://www.chestnutfarms.com/cgi/index.html This is intriguing because I’ve had mixed luck with whole fresh Korean chestnuts (many have been moldy). Hmmm, that Michigan trip is sounding better and better. Along those lines, keep in mind Eccentric Day is some time in early December (anyone know when?). This is the day Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo (probably the best microbrewery in the Midwest) releases their once-a-year Eccentric Ale. Link: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AgEcon/publications/staff411.pdf Wed Nov 05 20:00:42 -0800 2003 620961 0 Rene G 5 621164 On a somewhat related note, I have an acquaintance that has recently planted 15,000 Hazelnut and American Chestnut seedlings on his farm, near Elizabeth, Illinois. Under the direction of Phil Rutter, the co-founder of the American Chestnut Society, he's exploring Hazelnuts and Chestnuts as alternative food/oil crops. The goal with the Chestnuts is to develop blight tolerant nuts of commercial size (a width around one inch). In the case of the Hazelnuts, many of these new test hybrids are producing nuts with a 60% oil content and a comparable annual tonnage (crop yield) to soybeans. [Soybeans have, on average, a 20% oil content.] In addition, these trees can be farmed sustainably, significantly reducing the erosion of soil, and requiring little, if any, fertilization or chemical applications. Mr. Rutter eventually hopes to select varieties for Illinois farmers. Sun Nov 09 12:40:56 -0800 2003 621022 0 Erik M. 1 620967 Just a question for anyone that may know: Is chestnut flour simply ground cooked chestnuts? I have a recipe that calls for "finely ground cooked chestnuts" which I have always assumed is the chestnut flour. Same or not? Thanks, all! --Joy Wed Nov 05 11:30:32 -0800 2003 620763 0 joyful Foodie 1 621075 I bought some about 2 years ago at L'Appetito on Wabash and Huron. Made a cake with it that was practically inedible. Due mostly in part to this cook's lack of baking skills, I think! Thu Nov 06 16:45:50 -0800 2003 620763 0 joybirdie 1 621178 Gino's Italian Imports 3420-22 North Harlem Avenue Chicago, IL 60634 773-745-8310 Sun Nov 09 21:23:28 -0800 2003 620763 0 Aaron D