Crema di funghi e marroni

Chestnut trees, a significant feature of the hill and mountain landscape around my hometown of Conegliano up to 2000-2300 ft, provide two types of fruit, the larger, more highly prized marroni and chestnuts.  Always popular in rural culture for their high nutritive and energy-giving value, they are still eaten here in the autumn, boiled or roasted and also used for sweets and honey; dried, they become the traditional "stracaganasse".  Every year in October,  Combai (a little village near Conegliano) is host to a very popular chestnut festival. Here is a simple recipe, perfect for the fall:

INGREDIENTS   

Extra vergine olive oil
sale e pepe (salt and pepper)
garlic
parsley
water
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 pound of fresh mushrooms
4 leeks
300 g of marroni (chestnuts)
100 g of chestnut's flower
1 glass di vino rosso (red wine)Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION 

Boil the chestnuts in salted water and take the shell off when they are cold. Proceed with preparing a base of thinly sliced ​​leeks, which will then gently fry in extra virgin olive oil. Chop the mushrooms and brown in the pan where you cooked the leeks with a clove of garlic and the parsley. Slice the peeled chestnuts and add to the mushrooms. Add now the previously toasted chestnut flour. Bring water to boil and add the cream. Finally, pour a glass of red wine, leaving everything to simmer with the lid on for a while. In the last few minutes you can add a handful of grated cheese, and more olive oil.

Note: Chestnut flour is a grayish-tan alternative to regular all-purpose flour made from ground chestnuts. Its sweet flavor makes it a favorite ingredient for recipes involving almonds,chocolate, honey, and hazelnuts. A gluten-free product, chestnut flour is a cooking option for people with celiac disease or other gluten intolerances or allergies.