My husband's mother makes lots of lovely things with ground chestnuts.  She sprinkles them on rice pudding...and they make something really nice for the holidays.  It's boiled wheatberries with sugar and ground up chestnuts.  I'll ask Metodi what special connotation it has and maybe get you a recipe.  It was my favorite.  When I asked him if we could make it this summer he told me it was for the holidays, but he made it for me anyway.

But yeah horse chestnuts = no good.  :)