Directions:
In a large saucepan, cover chestnuts with water. Bring to a boil. Boil 8 minutes. Discard liquid. Drain. Using a kitchen towel, rub off brown inner skins. Chop chestnuts, place in bowl and set aside.

Cook celery and onion in the butter, about 5 minutes. Add spices and cook until tender. Add chestnuts. Pour over bread crumbs. If not moist enough add more melted butter or a little water. Let cool for about 5 minutes and stuff turkey or you can spread in a baking pan and bake at 350* F for about 15-20 minutes.

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Directions:
In a large saucepan, cover chestnuts with water. Bring to a boil. Boil 8 minutes. Discard liquid. Drain. Using a kitchen towel, rub off brown inner skins. In a large saucepan, cook sugar, water and vanilla bean over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Add chestnuts. Increase heat. Boil 10 minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Pour syrup and nuts into a large bowl. Let stand 12 hours. Return to pan. Boil 1 minute. Return to bowl. Let stand 24 hours. Repeat process 3 times until syrup has been absorbed.

Preheat oven to 150* F. Cover a wire rack with parchment paper. Place chestnuts on top of parchment on the wire rack. Bake in preheated oven with oven door open 2 hours or until firm. Remove from oven. Cool.

Store in a container lined with waxed paper. Will keep up to 2 weeks.
Makes 2 pounds.

Directions:
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet. Add chestnuts and saute until heated through. Set aside.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in large pot. Add carrot, parsnip, celery and saute until soft. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Add chestnuts, Madeira, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste and simmer additional 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls.

Some prefer to puree soup in batches in food processor. After simmering 15 minutes and adjusting the seasoning, puree in processor, transfer soup back to large saucepan. Bring to simmer for additional 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Ladle into bowls.

Directions:
Slit convex sides of chestnuts with a sharp knife. Bake in an oiled pan at 450 degrees for 5-6 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel skins with knife.

OR

In a large saucepan, cover chestnuts with water. Bring to a boil. Boil 8 minutes. Discard liquid. Drain. Using a kitchen towel, rub off brown inner skins.

In a heavy pan, melt butter and saute onions until lightly browned. Add chestnuts, carrots and stock. If stock is not strong enough, add 1 chicken bouillon cube. Simmer until chestnuts are soft, about 20 minutes. Puree cooked mixture in blender, processing in small batches until smooth.

Combine in a medium-sized saucepan with cream and sherry and heat to simmer. Do Not Boil. Salt and pepper to taste. Top each serving with a dollop of lightly salted, whipped cream and a dash of paprika. Provide a cruet of sherry on the side for those who wish extra flavoring.

For the Stuffing
1 oz Butter or vegan margarine
1 lg Onion -- finely chopped
12 oz whole cooked chestnuts
Fresh lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated nutmeg

Directions:
If you're making the croutes, it's a good idea to get them done in advance and out of the way. You can fry them, but we think they're much nicer baked to a crisp golden crunchiness in a slow oven. Set the oven to 300 degrees F. Stamp circles in the bread with a large pastry cutter; spread on both sides with butter and put them on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until completely crisp and golden. Cool. These will keep in a tin for a few days.

To prepare the chestnuts, slit convex sides of chestnuts with a sharp knife. Bake in an oiled pan at 450* F for 5-6 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel skins with knife.

OR

In a large saucepan, cover chestnuts with water. Bring to a boil. Boil 8 minutes. Discard liquid. Drain. Using a kitchen towel, rub off brown inner skins.

To prepare the mushrooms, cut off any stalks so that the surface is level, then wash the mushrooms and pat them dry on kitchen paper.

Fry them on both sides with olive oil and drain well. Season them with salt and pepper, then leave on one side while you make the stuffing.

Melt the butter in a medium-large saucepan. Add the onion and fry for about 7 minutes, until soft.

Chop up any pieces of mushroom stalk, add these and cook for a minute or two longer. Remove from the heat and add the cooked chestnuts, breaking them up a bit as you do so to make a mixture which holds together but has some chunky bits in it. Add a dash of fresh lemon juice, and salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste.

To serve the dish, preset the oven to 400* F, or preheat your grill to high. Put the croutes on a baking sheet or in a shallow casserole, then place a mushroom on each one, black side up. Spoon the stuffing mixture on top. Bake or grill until heated through -- about 10 minutes on the grill, 15-20 minutes in the oven.