Au Marche owner prepares Thanksgiving feast

Lora Wiley, owner of Au Marche, will visit “Jayni’s Kitchen” and prepare a Thanksgiving feast using traditional ingredients in contemporary recipes. On the menu: Squash and Chestnut Soup, Roast Chicken with Chestnut Stuffing and Pumpkin Ice Cream with Ginger Chocolate Sauce. The dessert recipe can be viewed online at www.ljworld.com.

A new show airs at 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6. The show also is broadcast at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday; 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday; 9:30 a.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Squash & chestnut soup

1 acorn squash, about 2 1/2 pounds

3/4 pound fresh chestnuts in the shell

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

Salt and black pepper, to taste

3 to 4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons whipping cream

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Pour 1/2 cup of water into a large baking dish. Place the squash halves cut side down in the baking dish and bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until very tender. Scrape out the flesh and reserve. You should have about 2 cups of cooked squash. Roast the chestnuts as directed below, peel, chop and set aside. Heat the olive oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrot and celery, and season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for approximately 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and chopped chestnuts and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chestnuts and vegetables soften. Pour the chestnut mixture and the cooked squash into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan and heat over low heat. Stir in the cream. Heat the soup until hot, but do not allow it to boil. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Serves 4 to 6.

To roast and peel the chestnuts: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp knife, cut a small, shallow “X” on the surface of each chestnut. Place the chestnuts in a shallow baking dish and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the oven and cool for approximately 30 minutes. Using your thumbs, pull apart the chestnut shells. At the “X” the shell will have started to pull away from itself, making it easy to strip the shell from the nut. Coarsely chop the chestnuts.

Roast chicken with chestnut stuffing

3 1/2 to 4-pound whole chicken

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Chestnut Stuffing:

1 pound fresh chestnuts in the shell

1 1/2 cups uncooked wild rice

4 ounce slice Jamon Serrano (Spanish ham)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cups celery, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

40 red seedless grapes, sliced

lengthwise

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

sea salt & cracked black pepper

Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity with sea salt and black pepper.

Chestnut Stuffing: Roast and peel the chestnuts and cook the wild rice as directed below. Chop the serrano ham into 1/2-inch dice. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and fry the ham until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion, celery and parsley and saute for 5 minutes more. Stir in the chopped chestnuts, cooked wild rice, grapes, sage, thyme and marjoram. Season to taste with salt & black pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken, reserving the leftover stuffing. Place the chicken in large, shallow baking dish and sprinkle the breast with coarse sea salt, if desired. Roast the chicken in a 375 degree oven for approximately 1 3/4 hours, or until an inserted thermometer reads 180 degrees. About 25 to 30 minutes before the chicken is done, spoon the reserved stuffing into the baking dish around the chicken and return it to the oven for the remaining cooking time. Serves 4.

To roast and peel the chestnuts: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp knife, cut a small, shallow “X” on the surface of each chestnut. Place the chestnuts in a shallow baking dish and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the oven and cool for approximately 30 minutes. Using your thumbs, pull apart the chestnut shells. At the “X” the shell will have started to pull away from itself, making it easy to strip the shell from the nut. Coarsely chop the chestnuts.

To cook the wild rice: Wash 1 1/2 cups of wild rice in cold water. Place the rice in a saucepan with 4 cups of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir, cover and simmer the rice over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Uncover the pan, fluff the rice with a fork and simmer for 5 minutes more. Drain excess liquid if needed.

– Recipes by Lora Wiley, owner of Au Marche.