Roasted Chestnut Soup with Wild Mushrooms
From Yankee Magazine — November 2004
Vegetables Recipes | Soups, Stews, Chowders Recipes | Miscellaneous Recipes
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
This rich, flavorful soup has a slightly nutty taste and a soft, creamy texture. Note that you may use store-bought, preroasted chestnuts, which come vacuum-packed in jars. However, in our testing, we found that freshly roasted chestnuts tasted best. To roast chestnuts, cut an x through the flat bottom of each nut (this helps with peeling later). Toss chestnuts with salt, pepper, and 1/3 cup canola oil. Spread chestnuts on a baking sheet and roast at 425° until tender, about 25–35 minutes. Return chestnuts to the bowl, toss, and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Cool; then peel.
- 3 cups roasted, peeled chestnuts, divided
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 1 small onion, chopped fine
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
- 4-1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1-1/2 cups heavy or light cream
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh (or reconstituted dried) wild mushrooms, such as porcini, black trumpet, or chanterelle
Chop chestnuts and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook until tender, 8–10 minutes.
Add thyme and stir briefly.
Add chicken stock, heavy cream, and 2-1/2 cups chopped chestnuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Then simmer 20–25 minutes.
Purée in batches in a blender until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste if necessary.
While soup is simmering, sauté mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter over high heat, until slightly crispy but still tender, 8–10 minutes. Set aside.
Pour soup into bowls. Garnish with the remaining chestnuts and mushrooms. Serve hot.
Reviews by Readers
This soup was absolutely fantastic. Veg stock was used in lieu of chicken stock. Would recommend it to anyone looking for a good fall/winter soup. – Anonymous Review
Roasting the chestnut was the biggest, most difficult part. Those shells are brutal! But worth it! – Reviewed by Colleen Paradis
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and planning on making it for Wednesday evenings supper. Wonderful taste and texture. I found canned chestnuts (packed in water not syrup!) at Wild Oats Market in Portland for 99 cents. Saves time roasting and peeling. – Reviewed by Marcia Burchstead
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