20 chestnuts
1/2 glass of milk
A little vanilla

"Take 20 chestnuts and roast them on a slow fire. Remove the shells and put them in a saucepan with 1/2 glass of milk and a little vanilla. Cover the saucepan and let it cook slowly for more than a half-hour. Then drain the chestnuts and pass them through a sieve."

The recipe was taken from the copyright-free cookbook entitled, "Allied Cookery, British, French, Italian, Belgian, Russian" arranged by Grace Clergue Harrison and Gertrude Clergue. It was published in 1916 by G.P. Putman's Sons. For the entire cookbook see www.archive.org..... P.S. Many modern-day calconi recipes ask for chestnut puree. Store-bought chestnut puree can be expensive, and often not as tasty as one that is home-made. This particular recipe for chestnut puree is easy to do and tastes very good. Photo and notes: Mary Melfi.

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