Chestnut Rice Stuffing

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 1 celery rib, chopped fine
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
• 1 turkey liver, chopped fine (optional)
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled and grated coarse
• 3/4 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup sultana raisin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 lbs chestnuts, cooked, cleaned and chopped coarse (procedure follows)

Recipe

• 1 melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. turn heat up to high and add ground beef. cook until meat is browned well, stir in celery and cook 5 minutes longer. stir in rice and turkey liver and cook 3 minutes. add all remaining ingredients, season generously with salt and pepper.
• 2 your bird is ready to be stuffed!
• 3 to prepare chestnuts: i do them in the pressure cooker. rinse chestnuts and put them in the cooker. add enough water to cover by a good 2 inches and throw in 2 tblsps salt (this will be drained off anyway- but gives the chestnuts better flavour). boil for 5 minutes (after pressure starts). turn off heat and leave on element 15 minutes longer. drain.
• 4 when cool enough to handle, cut off'nib' with a small, sharp knife and peel. get the papery stuff off too. this is not so easy- some chestnuts peel easer than others, but they are so good and this is so totally worth it!
• 5 if you don't have a pressure cooker, you can boil them in a regular pot for about 25 minutes.
• 6 you could also use the vacuum-packed, cleaned chestnuts available, but i don't know if they'd be as tasty. i would guess that just over 1 lb of cleaned, cooked chestnuts would equal a 2 lb, uncleaned weight.