Creamy Chestnut Soup

Fresh chestnuts are not readily available in my neighbourhood, so when I see them appear in the produce section, I literally go nuts and load up my shopping cart!

Although the process of shucking chestnuts require a lot of labour, I think they are worth every bit of effort. The frozen type and the canned version just don’t deliver the same sweetness nor the tender, starchy texture that I love so much about the fresh chestnuts.

For most months of the year, I live without chestnuts, skipping over recipes that calls for them or omitting and substituting in other ingredients. So when autumn comes around and fresh chestnuts are finally in season, I buy in large amounts. 

After getting the chestnuts home, I usually set aside one afternoon to shuck them all at once. I find that the easiest way to do this is using the roasting method. First I cut a cross into the hard shell using a very sharp serrated knife. Then, place them on a baking pan into a preheated 350F oven to roast until the shells start to peel back, takes about 10 minutes. At that point, I take out a few at a time and carefully, using protective gloves or a dry towel wrapping around the hot chestnut, peel off the shell along with the brown furry lining while the chestnut is still hot! Don’t allow the chestnut to cool down, or else the brown lining will stick and it will be unbelievably frustrating to remove (almost impossible, in my opinion). The unshelled chestnuts will then ready for use! Either use immediately or let them cool and freeze for later.

To celebrate the deliciousness of chestnuts, I decided to make a creamy soup. I looked at several recipes and in the end, adapted the recipes based on the ingredients I had in the kitchen.

Creamy Chestnut Soup

Makes 3 cups.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2cup carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 leek, julienned
• 15pc chestnuts
• about 2cups water
• 1 small sweet potato, diced
• salt and pepper
• fresh herbs, for garnish
• 1/4cup whipping dream, optional (I used milk instead)

Directions:

• In a tall saucepan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Saute bay leaf, garlic, celery and carrot lightly until aromatic. Add in leek and continue to saute until it softens and wilts a bit. (I usually like to add in a pinch of salt at this point to help the ingredients sweat better).
• Add in chestnuts and pour in the water. You should add in enough water to just cover all the ingredients. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
• When it boils, turn heat to medium-low and let it gently simmer for about 30 minutes, until chestnuts easily break open when poked with a fork.
• Add in sweet potatoes and continue to simmer for another 15 – 20 minutes, until all the ingredients are tender. Remove from heat and let the soup cool down a bit.
• When soup has cooled down slightly, use an immersion blender to puree soup until creamy (or leave chunks if you prefer), or split the soup into batches and blend until creamy using a blender.
• Reheat soup gently, season with salt and pepper. Add in whipping cream (or milk) and garnish with fresh herbs (I used chopped parsley) before serving.