Dark Roasted Chestnut Soup Food

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:

• Roast chestnuts in a 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Whether you're using fresh, canned or vacuum packed chestnuts you still need to do this step.
• While chestnuts are roasting, heat oil in 4 quart pot over medium high heat. Add butter. Allow oil and butter to melt together. Add in onions, carrots, celery and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until they are softened. Add soy sauce and chestnuts. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium high heat. Stir frequently. Add water. Bring to a simmer. Leave uncovered and continue simmering for 25 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add parsley and sage.
• Using an immersion or standard blender, puree soup. After pureeing the soup you can stir in the wine if you'd like. Serve!

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.

DARK ROASTED CHESTNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Sweat vegetables and chestnuts in whole butter until very aromatic and onions are tender. Wrap all remaining ingredients in cheesecloth, to easily separate them from the soup. In a separate pot, slowly reduce the heavy cream by almost half. Do not over boil.
• Add fortified stock liberally to cover vegetables (it will reduce). Add herbs wrapped in cheesecloth. Let simmer for 1 hour until chestnuts very tender and stock has been reduced slightly. (Make sure there's still enough stock to cover the mixture.)
• Remove cheeseclothed herbs and add reduced heavy cream. Puree mixture carefully. Adjust seasoning as necessary and strain.