Nouzillards au Lait

In much of rural France, you will find majestic avenues of edible-chestnut trees, often hundreds of years old. In the past, cooked chestnuts took the place of bread in years plagued by a bad harvest. For the evening meal, they were simply spooned into bowls and covered with boiling milk. This version from the Loire Valley, with a bit of onion and celery, is scarcely more complicated.