Green Beans with Chestnuts

Here's a side dish borne of trying to figure out what to do with all those leftover holiday chestnuts! If you haven't had chestnuts, they're a meaty nut, bursting with flavor. I used leftover roasted chestnuts, so have included instructions on how to roast them. Eat them freshly roasted, or use them in recipes, like this one.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb fresh green beans, cut into 2 inch lengths
2 slices proscuitto, cut into pieces
10 roasted chestnuts, sliced
1 tsp butter
several grinds of sea salt

Serves 4

Directions:

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the proscuitto, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the proscuitto is crisp. Add the chestnuts, stirring constantly for about 1 more minute, until the chestnuts are warm. Remove the proscuitto and nuts from the skillet. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the green beans and cook until crisp tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Mix the beans together with the proscuitto and chestnuts. Add the butter, taste, and add sea salt to taste.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Here's how to roast chestnuts. Preheat oven to 400F. Use a sharp knife to cut an X in the flat side of each nut. Place the nuts on a pan and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the X begins to peel back, exposing the cooked nut. Remove nuts from oven, let cook, peel, and eat.