Chestnut parsnip puree with mushrooms and maple sauce – vegan, AIP paleo and Medical Medium

A delightful dish with comforting flavors of autumn in every bite. For a romantic, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner celebration. Chestnut parsnip puree forms a savory and creamy base. Which is perfectly complements by the earthy richness of sautéed mushrooms with aromatic thyme and rosemary. All the flavors are elevated further by a luscious sauce from pure maple syrup.

This recipe would be a great sidedish for Christmas. See all Christmas recipes.

Sweet chestnuts

In Holland chestnuts are available at the greengrocer or at the market in season. If they are not available where you live you can buy them in pots. Then they are probalbly already cooked, so check the label.

Collecting in the wild

You can also collect them yourself, but in moderation. I am lucky I have a chestnut tree in my garden and several on the route where I walk my dog. So I can decide what I take for myself and what I leave for the animals. In Holland it’s usually tolerated to take them from the wild. Don’t go into the woods with whole bags, keep it to a few for occasional use. A coat pocket full per family is a good criterion in my opinion.

Cooking chestnuts

You can cook chestnuts in their skins or without. So you can peel them when they are cooked or when they are still raw. It is a personal preference how you prefer to clean the chestnuts.

Peeling chestnuts

If you peel chestnuts raw, the skin is a bit harder than if you boil them in the skin first. But the chestnut itself is also a bit harder, so the skin comes off a bit easier and the chestnut remains nice and whole. Cut off the tip and use your knife to peel the skin down.

If you peel them while they are cooked and still a bit warm, the skin is a bit softer. But the chestnut itself is also a bit softer and crumbles more easily. Here you process them into a puree, so crumbling them is not a problem.

Paleo adjustments: nightshades

For seasoning I use paprika powder and chiliflakes which are both nightshades. I personally don’t avoid nightshade. But that is my choice and it’s of course not ok on a strict paleo diet.

Luckily the paprika powder and chili flakes are not essential for this recipe. Just stick to Mediterranean green herbs (like thyme), coriander and onion powder and it will still taste great.

Medical Medium adjustments: no frying

Bake the mushrooms in just a bit of water and skip the oil.