Roasted Chestnuts

• Score the chestnuts with an X and soak them in water for 12 to 24 hours.

  After soaking set the oven to 425F. Drain the chestnuts and roast for 25 to 20 minutes. The chestnuts should be bursting out of the score marks. Wrap the roasted chestnuts in a towel and steam for 10 minutes. After steaming, peel the chestnut shell and save them for later.
• Juice apples until you have two cups. Finely dice the shallot and ginger. Finely slice the garlic. Pick the thyme and give it a rough chop. Small dice 1 cup of apples. Roughly chop the chestnuts into small pieces. Add the apple juice and vegetable stock to a pot and set to low heat until warm.
• Add olive oil to a wide pan and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Bring to medium heat and add garlic, shallot, ginger, and thyme. Once aromatic add the arborio rice. Toast in the pan for a minutes then add a small laddel of your cooking liquid. Mix the water in and cook until almost gone. Add another small ladle of the cooking liquid and cook until the rice is almost dry. Repeat this step until it is all gone and the risotto is fully cooked and creamy. If the risotto is still not done add a splash of water, and cook until tender. Add the grated cheese, apples, butter, and chestnuts and mix in. If the risotto gets too thick from the cheese, add a splash of water.
• Finish the risotto in a bowl with grated pecorino, picked thyme leaves, and a drizzel of olive oil.