Caldarroste (roasted chestnuts)

Homemade roasted chestnuts.

Since I didn't have gas, I couldn't use the special pan for caldarroste, so I thought of an alternative: Cooking with coarse salt (which, from what I know, is a very valid traditional technique and has proven to work very well) plus a little color and aroma with a kitchen blowtorch.

The result, in my opinion, was perfect.

A couple of tips for even cooking and effective peeling of the inner skin:

– Boil them very quickly for a couple of minutes after scoring them (this will ensure they begin to open immediately).

Note: if the score doesn't touch the skin, they will be much more difficult to peel, so score well.

– Cook them over coarse salt with the cut side facing up (otherwise the chestnuts will burn) and cook for about 7 minutes without the lid and 7 with the lid on (10 and 10 if the chestnuts are very large).

– Don't overdo it with the blowtorch… pass it quickly just to add color (note: even if slightly colored on the outside, the inside should remain yellow).