Chestnut Soup With Fried Parsley Food

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.

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.

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.

OLIVIER BAUSSAN'S CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut through one end of the shell of each chestnut. Place them on a sheet pan and roast until browned and the skins begin to pull back, 7 to 8 minutes. When cool, peel the nuts and discard the skins.
• Melt butter in a large soup pot. Add shallots and cook until soft. Add chestnuts, raise heat and cook, stirring, until chestnuts are golden. Stir in the porcini powder, vinegar and 4 cups of water. Add 2 cups of the cream and stir, scraping any residue from the bottom. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Bring the remaining cream to a boil and add the cardamom pods. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Strain and season with salt and pepper.
• Purée soup in a blender and stir in the truffle oil. Reheat the soup. (It should be warm, not piping hot.) Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Whip the infused cream until very frothy. Ladle soup into 8 small mugs and top with the frothy cream and a pinch more porcini powder, if desired.

CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Trim the top off the leek, slice it lengthwise and chop it roughly. Soak the leek briefly in water to remove sand and grit, then drain. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat, and butter and sweat celery and leeks in the butter until very soft DO NOT BROWN. Add the roasted chestnuts and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. If you are using frozen chestnuts, simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the starch begins to develop and the soup begins to thicken. If fresh chestnuts are used, simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until the starch begins to develop and you can easily crush the nuts against the side of the pot with a spoon. Turn off heat and allow the soup to cool slightly, otherwise the stream from the hot soup may cause the blender to malfunction. Pour the soup into a blender (or use an immersion blender right in the pot) blend until there are no longer any large pieces of chestnut, celery and leeks and the soup is somewhat smooth. Very small pieces of chestnut should remain. Return soup to pot and bring to a simmer again, add the cream and the port. Reduce until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the soup becomes too thick, adjust the consistency by adding a bit of water. The soup should be stirred well before serving, if it is in a thermos, shake it very well before pouring into bowls.

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.

FRENCH SMOOTH CHESTNUT SOUP FOR HOLIDAYS

Steps:

• On low heat, sweat the potato, celery, onion and garlic in butter in a heavy based pot for 5 minutes.
• Add the chestnuts, stock and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes until the nuts and vegetables are tender.
• Strain through a colander into a bowl and puree the solids in a food processor.
• Return the liquid to the solids while holding back about 1 cup in case the soup is too liquid for your taste.
• Strain back into the pot.
• Add the creme fraiche for extra tang and simmer the soup for 15 minutes to allow it to reduce slightly.
• Season to taste.
• Before serving, add the liquor to the hot soup.
• Garnish with choppsed parsley.
• The French would add a little shredded duck confit warmed in the alcohol into each bowl just right before serving.