This creamy, savory, and sweet chestnut soup reminds us that chestnuts aren’t just for roasting anymore – and its the perfect comfort food send off to 2016.
As we welcome a new year, it’s time to say goodbye to the somewhat arduous, troublesome, and trying year that has been 2016. And one of the best ways I know how to get out of my 2016 funk is through comfort food, which usually works to lift my spirits and make me feel all warm and fuzzy, like everything is gonna to be all right (fingers crossed). This chestnut soup, a staple dish of my brother’s for Christmas Day, is the perfect way to not only say a fond farewell to a few holiday flavors, but also welcome the new year in cozy comfort with high hopes of good things ahead.
The inspiration for this chestnut soup originally came to my brother Ben after ordering it from Danny Brown’s Wine Bar, a restaurant in our neighborhood that was one of the few Michelin Star restaurants in Queens (it has sadly since closed down). According to my brother, the soup was so amazing – savory and sweet and nutty and smooth all at the same time – that he just had to order it again the next time he was there. But alas, the chestnut soup had been a seasonal menu item for the winter only, and it was longer available. Not able to get the flavor of the tasty and creamy soup out of his mind, he did his very best to recreate it at home – very successfully might I add – and he has served it every Christmas Day since. The chestnut soup at this past week’s Christmas Day gathering at my house was once again a rousing success.
Chestnuts may seem like the kind of thing normally reserved for roasting on an open fire or adding to stuffing, but this recipe really pushes the limits of this creamy and sweet nut’s culinary uses. Chestnut soup is actually a staple in northern Italian and French cooking – known as zuppa de castagne in Italy – since at one point the chestnut was the area’s bread and butter of survival – literally. In the region of Liguria in Northern Italy, the chestnut tree was once referred to as albero del pane- the bread tree – since chestnuts not only provided a flour that could be turned into bread, but because they were as vital as bread to survival.
Taking a note from this Italian and French classic, Ben’s chestnut soup starts with the traditional mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onion, with some garlic for some added Italian flare. The chestnuts are added, and all the veggies are simmered in stock until they become tender. Roasting your own chestnuts and using those will impart a slightly smokey flavor to your soup, but we find it a lot easier to use the pre-shelled and cooked ones that come in a little pouch from the grocery store. The whole soup then gets blended and finished of course with butter and cream, just to round out the creaminess of the chestnut. As you sit and reflect on the year that has been 2016, this chestnut soup will be the perfect companion to help lift your spirits and welcome the new year with warmth.
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 gloves garlic, diced
- 5 cups chestnuts, cooked and shelled
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup cream
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley and red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)
- In a large pot, sauté onion, celery, carrot and garlic in olive oil with salt and pepper until onions are translucent and slightly browned, 10 minutes. Add stock and chestnuts and simmer until all vegetables are tender, 30 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and blend with immersion blender, or cooled in batches in blender. Transfer back to heat and add butter, cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve topped with parsley and red pepper flakes.
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