Best Chestnut Soup Recipes

CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• To Cook Chestnuts: With a sharp knife, slice an 'X' across each chestnut. Place chestnuts in a single layer on a jelly roll pan. Pour 1/4 cup water into the pan. Bake in a preheated 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, shell and peel.
• In a large saucepan combine the chicken stock, shelled chestnuts and chopped onions. Place the parsley sprigs, cloves and bay leaf in a spice bag and add to the chicken stock mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat for 45 minutes.
• Discard the spice bag and puree the chestnut mixture in a food processor or blender. Add the heavy cream, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Return mixture to saucepan and gently heat through. To serve to with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, a bit of chopped parsley and some cooked chopped chestnuts just before serving. High quality vegetable broth can be substituted for the chicken broth.

CAULIFLOWER & CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a gentle heat for 8-10 mins until the onion softens. Add the cauliflower, milk and stock. Bring to a simmer, cooking for 10-12 mins until the cauliflower is tender.
• Add the cream, season well and bring back to the boil. Take off the heat, throw in the chestnuts and blend with a hand blender until smooth. Taste and add more seasoning, if you like. To serve, top with shaved Parmesan, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

CHESTNUT PUREE FOR CELERY ROOT SOUP WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a small sharp knife or a chestnut knife, carve an "X" in the flat side of each chestnut. Place chestnuts in an even layer, "X" side-down on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and roast until opened, 10 to 12 minutes. Peel immediately, using a towel if chestnuts are too hot to touch; coarsely chop.
• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add chestnuts and cook for about 1 minute. Add vegetable stock; bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
• Add molasses, maple syrup, and roasted garlic. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until chestnuts are soft, about 30 minutes more. Working in batches, carefully transfer to the jar of a blender; blend until smooth.

CHESTNUT SOUP WITH BACON AND CHIVES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon until rendered and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the fat. In the same saucepan, melt the butter, and add the carrot, celery, leek, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until softened and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add broth and chestnuts to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until all the ingredients are soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, and purée in batches in a blender until very smooth. Return to saucepan, add the cream, and heat thoroughly, adding stock to thin if needed. (A spoon should not leave a trail on the surface of the soup.)
• Season with salt and pepper and ladle into warmed shallow bowls. Garnish with the reserved bacon, a dab of crème fraîche, chives, and a pinch of nutmeg.

CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, then stir in celery, carrot, and onion. Cover surface of vegetables with a buttered round of wax paper or parchment (buttered side down) and cover pan with lid, then sweat vegetables 15 minutes (to soften).
• Wrap parsley, cloves, and bay leaf in cheesecloth and tie into a bundle with string to make a bouquet garni.
• Discard buttered paper from vegetables, then add broth and bouquet garni and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Add chestnuts and Madeira and simmer, covered, 3 minutes.
• Purée soup in small batches (4 or 5) in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in cream, pepper, and salt to taste and reheat soup over moderate heat, stirring occasionally.

EASY CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Saute the chestnuts in butter until heated through; set aside.
• Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in a large pot, and stir in the carrot, parsnip, and celery root. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, chestnuts, and wine. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to simmer.
• Simmer for 15 minutes; season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and fresh parsley. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender a little at a time, or use an immersion blender. Garnish each serving with sour cream, if desired, and a dash of cayenne pepper.

CHESTNUT-MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a paring knife, make an incision in each chestnut about 1/8-inch deep through the shell and into the flesh, cutting almost all the way around nut. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until chestnuts are tender when pierced with the paring knife, about 35 minutes. Turn off oven. Leaving sheet in oven, remove several chestnuts at a time. Working quickly, place each chestnut in a kitchen towel, and remove and discard shell and inner skin.
• Roughly chop all but 2 cremini and 2 shiitake mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon butter with olive oil in a small stockpot over medium-high heat. Add chopped mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add all but 4 peeled chestnuts, and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add stock and the water, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until chestnuts are falling-apart tender, about 1 hour. Remove and discard thyme sprigs, and let soup cool slightly.
• Pass soup through a fine sieve into a bowl; transfer solids in batches to a food processor or blender, and puree until completely smooth. Add strained liquid, and process 1 minute. Return soup to stockpot, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the remaining 4 chestnuts and 4 mushrooms into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Saute sliced chestnuts and mushrooms until crisp and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Just before serving, heat soup over low. Stir in cream, and remove from heat. Ladle soup into shallow bowls; garnish with sauteed chestnuts and mushrooms and the thyme leaves.

CHESTNUT AND CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• In a kettle cook the onion, the garlic, the bay leaf, and the thyme in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, add the celery and the carrots, and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the chestnuts, the potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, the broth, 2 1/2 cups water, and salt and pepper to taste, simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chestnuts and the potato are very tender, and discard the bay leaf. In a blender puree the mixture in batches until it is smooth and return it to the kettle. The soup may be prepared 1 day in advance, cooled uncovered, and kept covered and chilled. Heat the soup, stirring, until it is hot and serve it with the sour cream.

CREAMY CHESTNUT SOUP WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND SAUTEED ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Combine porcini mushrooms and 2 cups hot water in medium bowl. Let stand until porcini mushrooms, soften, about 15 minutes.
• In a saucepan melt butter and add carrots, celery, parsnips and shallots. Saute until tender. Add bouquet garni and chicken stock.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer porcini mushrooms into saucepan with chicken broth. Add porcini-soaking liquid to saucepan, leaving sediment behind in bowl. Add chestnuts and salt and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth, return soup to saucepan. Add Sherry. Bring soup to simmer, correct seasonings adding salt and pepper, to taste. Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly and refrigerate. Re-warm over medium heat before continuing.
• Ladle soup into bowls. Top with vegetables, and garnish with leeks.

CELERY ROOT AND CHESTNUT SOUP WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Steps:

• Prepare the soup. Sweat the onions, celery, leeks and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until soft without browning, for about 5 minutes. Add celery root and sweat for 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add milk and then add water to cover, and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes.
• Puree the milk mixture in a blender with 1 teaspoon olive oil and lemon juice. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
• Prepare the chestnut puree. Saute shallots, garlic, thyme and chestnuts over medium heat for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan by adding the Calvados. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add water and simmer until tender. Puree the mixture in a blender, adding water to adjust consistency.
• To plate (per serving): Pour 5 ounces (5/8 cup) of celery root soup and 1/4 cup of chestnut puree into each bowl. Garnish each bowl with diced celery root, carrots, turnips and roasted chestnuts.

PUMPKIN-CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions; cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock, pumpkin, potatoes, and chestnuts; simmer over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• In batches, process mixture in a food processor until smooth (if soup is too thick, gradually add more stock). Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in cream to taste, and garnish with pumpkin seeds, if desired.

CREAMY CHESTNUT-MUSHROOM SOUP WITH SAUTEED ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Combine porcini mushrooms and 3 cups hot water in medium bowl. Let stand until porcini mushrooms soften, about 15 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer porcini mushrooms to heavy large saucepan. Add porcini soaking liquid to saucepan, leaving any sediment behind in bowl. Add vegetable stock and chestnuts to same saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan. Add cream and 1 tablespoon Sherry. Bring soup to simmer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before continuing.)
• Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, carrot and rutabaga; sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon Sherry. Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup into bowls. Top with vegetables and serve.
• *Porcini mushrooms are available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and many supermarkets nationwide.

CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Heat butter in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, celery and carrot and saute a few minutes to begin the cooking process. Sprinkle on the flour and cook a minute or until slightly browned. Add the broth, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Add chestnuts or puree and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes longer.
• Puree in a blender or food processor and return to a saucepan to reheat. If too thin, simmer over low heat, stirring continuously until thickened or if too thick, add more liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add a dash of Madeira and ladle out. Garnish with sour cream and chives if you wish.

CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Preparing the Chestnuts - Roasting Method: Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Using a sharp paring knife, make a shallow horizontal cut into the chestnut meat, all around the chestnut. Repeat with each one. After slicing each chestnut, place them on an oven proof pan and roast until tender, about 30- to 40 minutes. Work as quickly as possible, it's easiest when they are still warm. Use a dish towel to hold each chestnut as you peel them so you don't burn your fingers. Remove the shell and brown papery skin underneath. Set aside and repeat with the remaining chestnuts.
• Preparing the Chestnuts - Boiling Method: Place chestnuts in a pot, large enough to hold them, and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender. Peel as above. Remove them from the hot water only as you peel them, keeping the others warm. Set aside.
• In a 4 quart pan, heat the olive oil with the butter and paprika. Add the onion and sauté it until it turns golden. Add the garlic and cook just until the garlic is aromatic.
• Pour in the water or vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the chestnuts and simmer for 10 minutes on medium-low. Remove six chestnuts from the pot and set aside. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the bread to the pot and allow the bread to absorb the broth and become mushy. Using a stick blender, puree the soup.
• Pour the soup through a sieve, pressing it through. Return the soup to the pot and add the cilantro or parsley. Keep warm until serving. Just before serving, quickly stir in the cream.
• Garnish each bowl with a whole or crumbled chestnut.
• Variation: After straining the soup, return to the boil and add ¼ to 1/3 cup short -grain rice to the pot. Simmer 10 minutes, then continue as written.

ROASTED CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• If you have skinned chestnuts, proceed to step 2. If your chestnuts still have their skins, preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a sharp (preferably curved) paring knife to make an X on their flat sides. Roast them in one layer in a baking pan for 10 to 15 minutes, or until their skins begin to open away from the meat. They will then be easy to peel; remove both outer and inner skins while they are warm. (The peeled chestnuts will cook faster if you chop them roughly, but it isn't necessary.)
• Meanwhile (if you have skinned chestnuts, start here), put the olive oil or butter in a deep skillet or casserole over medium heat. A couple of minutes later, add the celery, onion, and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and the chestnuts, bring to a boil, and partially cover. Adjust the heat so that the mixture simmers and cook until the chestnuts are mushy, about 30 minutes.
• Carefully puree the soup in a blender (if you are not in a hurry, cool it slightly first for extra caution). Measure and add water to make 6 cups of liquid. Reheat, adjust the seasoning if necessary, garnish with celery leaves or parsley, and serve.
• Variations
• I like to elaborate on this soup in two ways, depending on what I've got in the fridge and whether meat eaters are coming to dinner:
• Chestnut Soup with Bacon: Start by rendering 1/4 cup or so of diced slab bacon; scoop out the solids and reserve them for garnish, then sauté the celery and onion in the rendered fat and proceed as directed.
• Chestnut Soup with Shiitakes: Garnish the soup with a cup or so of shiitake mushrooms (caps only), sliced and sautéed in butter or oil until crisp.

KABOCH SQUASH AND CHESTNUT SOUP WITH CHIPOTLE CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• For chipotle crème fra‮che:
• Combine Port, wine, chilies, and tomato paste in heavy small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced to thick paste, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Transfer to small bowl; cool. Fold in crème fraîche. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
• For soup:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush baking sheet with oil. Place squash halves, cut side down, on prepared sheet. Bake squash until very tender, about 1 hour. Scoop squash from skins. Measure 6 cups squash and transfer to large pot (reserve any remaining squash for another use). Add broth and chestnuts to pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer soup uncovered until chestnuts are very tender, about 30 minutes. Mix maple syrup into soup. Puree soup in batches in blender until very smooth; return to same pot. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Rewarm soup. Ladle into bowls. Top each serving with chipotle crème fraîche.

PORK AND WATER CHESTNUT SAUSAGE WONTONS IN WATERCRESS AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• To make the wontons, place 1 heaping teaspoon of the sausage in the center of each wonton wrapper. Lightly brush the edges of the wrapper with water, and fold it over corner to corner to make a triangle. Press the edges together with a fork to seal. As the wontons are made, transfer them to a plate. Use right away, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, within a few hours.
• To make the soup, combine the broth and shiitake slices in a large saucepan and place over medium-high heat. When the broth just begins to boil, drop in as many wontons as will fit without crowding and cook until they rise to the top, 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the wontons to a plate and repeat with the remaining wontons.
• When all the wontons are cooked, stir the watercress into the simmering broth and return the wontons to the pan. Reheat gently, then ladle into individual bowls and serve right away.

CHESTNUT, BACON & PARSNIP SOUP

Steps:

• Fry the rashers of bacon in the oil until crisp. Scoop out half the bacon and set aside until later. Add the onion and garlic to the pan, stirring until tender, then add the parsnips. Cook for another 5 mins, then crumble in the chicken stock cube. Add the milk, 600ml water, the thyme and chestnuts. Cover and simmer for 30 mins until the parsnip is tender. Blitz with a hand blender, then season to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with the reserved bacon.

CHESTNUT FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• Coarsely chop chestnuts, reserving 1/3 cup for garnish.
• Cook shallot and leeks in 2 tablespoons butter in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add wine and simmer until almost all liquid is evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in fennel, broth, chestnuts (excluding garnish), and water, then simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and cool mixture slightly.
• Purée mixture in batches in a blender until smooth, transferring to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return soup to pot and bring to a simmer, thinning with water if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
• While soup is reheating, heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté reserved chestnuts with salt and pepper to taste, stirring constantly, until crisp and butter is browned, about 4 minutes.
• Serve soup topped with chestnuts and drizzled with browned butter.

CHESTNUT AND KALE SOUP

Steps:

• Soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches in a bowl at room temperature at least 8 hours, or quick-soak (see cooks' note, below). Drain well in a colander.
• Cook pancetta, onion, and garlic in oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, broth, water, cheese rind, salt, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Discard cheese rind and stir in chestnuts.
• Transfer 2 cups soup to a blender and purée until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then return to pot. Stir in kale and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until leaves are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in thyme.