Chestnut Soup

By SallySmo

Ingredients

• (If you can find peeled chestnuts, either frozen or vacuum-packed, this dish takes very little time….I strongly recommend)
• 10 lg chestnuts, peeled or unpeeled
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
• 2 C chopped celery
• 1/2 C chopped onion
• salt and fresh black pepper
• 4 C good chicken stock
• Chopped celery leaves or parsley for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

If you have peeled chestnuts, proceed to Step 2. Otherwise, preheat oven to 350°F. Using sharp paring knife, make an X on flat side of each chestnut. Roast in open pan for 10 to 15 minutes, or until skins begin to open away from meat. Remove both outer and inner skins while chestnuts are warm.

Step 2: Place olive oil or butter in deep skillet or casserole, and turn heat to medium. A couple of minutes later add celery, onion and good sprinkling of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add stock and chestnuts, bring to a boil and partly cover. Lower heat and simmer until chestnuts are mushy, about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Carefully puree soup in a blender or use immersion blender. Measure and adad water to total 6 C liquid. Reheat, adjust seasoning if necessary and serve with garnish.
Note: A garnish of a cup or so of shitake mushroom caps, sliced and sauteed until crisp, makes spectacular garnish

-John Trickett