Mushroom Soup With Chestnuts And Roasted Fennel Food

WILD MUSHROOM SOUP WITH CHESTNUTS AND ROASTED FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the fennel halves, cut-side up, in a baking dish and drizzle with enough olive oil to come up half-way; season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until completely tender - the roasted fennel is the base of the soup, so it's important the flesh is soft enough to be cut with a spoon. Reserve until ready to serve.
• In a large pot, melt the butter over medium flame, add the onion and garlic, and saute for 4 minutes until translucent. Toss the thyme into the pan, along with the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mushrooms give off their liquid. Add the chestnuts and cook for a few more minutes until they have some nice color on them. Remove about 1 cup of the mixture to save as a garnish for the soup.
• Pour the stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring now and then. Remove from the heat and puree the soup until completely smooth, using a handheld or regular blender. Stir in the cream to make the soup even richer, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.
• To serve: Ladle the soup into soup bowls; garnish each serving with a bit of the reserved mushrooms and chestnuts, a roasted fennel half, and a sprinkle of chopped chives.

CHESTNUTS AND WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet and slowly let the garlic get brown. Saute the Shiitake until soft (adding a spoonful of water if necessary so they don't burn). Add the chestnuts and saute just to reheat them and season well with salt and lots of ground black pepper.

PARMESAN ROASTED FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut 2 fennel bulbs into 1-inch wedges; toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover with foil and roast at 425 degrees F, 20 minutes. Uncover and toss; continue roasting until tender and golden, 15 to 20 minutes, sprinkling with 1/4 cup shredded parmesan during the last 5 minutes.

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 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.

ROASTED CARROT AND FENNEL SOUP WITH MISO-GLAZED MUSHROOMS AND CASHEW CREAM

Steps:

• Place cashews in a small bowl and pour in water to cover. Let soak at room temperature at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400°. Toss carrots and fennel on a rimmed baking sheet with 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. Season with pepper. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until vegetables are just starting to brown around the edges, about 20 minutes.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add onion, ginger, and ¼ tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened slightly and translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in roasted carrots and fennel, then add mirin, scraping up any browned bits. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are softened, 30-40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk 2 tsp. miso and 1 Tbsp. warm water in a small bowl to combine. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet over high. Cook mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat, add miso mixture, and stir to coat. Set aside.
• Drain cashews and transfer to a blender. Pour in enough water to cover (½-¾ cup) and blend on high speed until smooth and light. (about 2 minutes if you're using a high-speed blender). It should be the consistency of just-whipped cream. Thin with more water if needed.
• Remove pot with carrot mixture from heat and stir in remaining 1 Tbsp. miso. Purée soup with an immersion blender until smooth (or, use a regular blender, working in batches if needed). Thin with more broth or water, if needed. Stir in vinegar; taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in ¼ cup cashew cream.
• Ladle soup into bowls and top with reserved mushrooms, a dollop of cashew cream, and reserved fennel fronds.

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.