Cream of Chestnut Soup is a traditional British recipe for a classic vegetarian soup of chestnuts in a pureed chestnut and vegetable base that's finished with cream and which makes and excellent (and traditional) starter for Christmas. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Cream of Chestnut Soup.
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In Britain, at least, chestnuts are intimately connected with Christmas and, thanks to Dickens, roasted chestnuts are considered Christmas fare. This recipe takes that idea, prepares a soup from the chestnuts that's then served garnished with toasted chestnuts. So why not serve this soup as a starter or soup dish during the Christmas season?
Ingredients:
500g chestnuts
40g butter
2 carrots, scraped and thinly sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 small head of celery (with leaves), chopped
3 parsley sprigs, chopped
1.2l water
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp single cream
30g halved chestnuts, toasted to garnish
Method:
Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the chestnuts and blanch for 5 minutes. Using a sotted spoon, remove the chestnuts one by one then take off the skins and the papery peel (this comes off if you rub with a coarse cloth).
Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the carrots, onions, celery and parsley. Gently sweat these down for about 20 minutes, or until softened. Add the water, season with salt and black pepper to taste then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 1 hour. After this time, strain the stock through a fine-meshed sieve and reserve the liquid.
Pour half the stock into a pan, add the chestnuts and cook for about 30 minutes, or until completely soft. Take off the heat and blend to a purée then return to the pan. Stir in the remaining stock and adjust the seasonings to taste. Allow the soup to heat through then take off the heat and stir in the cream.
Ladle into warmed soup bowls, garnish with the toasted chestnuts and serve.
As well as being a traditional Christmas soup, this soup is also excellent served before a game-based main course.
