I know that I have shown this recipe from my book "Wild Food" by Roger Phillips before. However, several of you mentioned that you had never eaten sweet chestnuts, so I am encouraging you to give the soup a try. I have looked carefully at the small print on the back of one of my packets, and amazingly they were packed in China! However, they are excellent. Apparently Chinese chestnuts - Castanea mollissima are slightly different from the European ones, they are smaller and sweeter. China send their exports around the world, so these must be available to you too.
Roast the chestnuts if not using the ready prepared ones.
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Cook onions and garlic in oil until soft, add the milk, stock, and spices, then gently heat them all up. Before boiling point turn the heat right down and let them infuse. Add the chestnuts and cook them all gently, but don't boil. When the chestnuts are soft purée the mixture with a stick blender.
This is a very tasty, nourishing, elegant soup with a velvety texture. Serve topped with toasted pine nuts, parsley, and some good crusty bread.
Another "nutty" recipe coming soon.
Never tried chestnut soup but it does look lovely... and filling. Not a fan of watery soups with not much in them. Years ago I collected sweet chestnuts in the wild here from a local tree and roasted them but only attempted to eat a few as Scottish trees do not get enough heat and sun to ripen properly... I presumed. Either that or tastes have changed radically since the roasted chestnut 'frost fairs' in London. I had a 1970s wild food book that inspired me at that time, similar to yours. Nettle soup also not as tasty as the author claimed but that might have been my cooking skills.
ReplyDeleteThe Greeks and Romans loved them, and in fact it was the Romans that planted them here so that they would have a ready supply. We have tried a few of the recipes in his book but not nettle soup.
DeleteHello Rosemary, I am not a fan of pureed soups, so I thought it might be possible to cook the soup and then just mash a few of the chestnuts with a spoon to give some body to the soup (those bagged peeled chestnuts are on the soft side, anyways). Or you could puree only half or just use the blender for a few seconds, to leave some texture. I used to make chestnut curry, and I would cut the chestnuts in half then let them soften or disintegrate at their own rate, but definitely liked pieces.
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Hello Jim - The chestnuts that I have are firm not soft. However, when I blend them I do not blitz the chestnuts until the soup is totally smooth as I too enjoy the texture you get from them.
DeleteThis looks and sounds absolutely lovely, and chestnuts sound very Christmassy to me. I never see them on sale here, but do remember them from a visit to Japan in Winter, years ago. The aroma of them roasted on the streets was so enticing, and that was the only time I have tasted a chestnut. Enjoy your delicious soup in the Winter weather.
ReplyDeleteI only realised that there are several varieties of sweet chestnut trees when I discovered that the ones I had bought came from China - Chinese/Taiwan/Korean sweet chestnuts are call Castanea mollissima - Japanese are Castanea crenata - European are Castanea sativa, and American are Castanea dentata. They are all very similar, but I am really pleased with the rich flavour from the Chinese used to make the soup.
DeleteI have eaten roasted chestnuts and chestnut stuffing inside a turkey, but never chestnut soup. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t be anything but delicious, though.
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DeleteI love cooked chestnuts. I have the Roger Phillips mushroom book. It is the best you can get, I think.
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DeleteI've never had chestnut soup, nor seen packages of chestnuts in our grocery stores. It does look delicious, though.
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DeleteNever had a chestnut as far as I know. We can buy them here as water chestnuts.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that sweet chestnuts and water chestnuts share is their name. Sweet chestnuts grow on trees and water chestnuts, as their name suggests, are the corms of aquatic plants.
DeleteThat soup looks delicious, Rosemary! Especially in winter a creamy soup is so lovely and "heartwarming".
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DeleteOh my, that does look delicious and it's definitely soup weather at the moment.
ReplyDeleteAs I type this we have a very cold -4C, Brrr.
All the best Jan
It is so delicious that I have just made another pot full - a bowl of soup is so satisfying during this chilly weather. I heard on the news that next week is expected to be quite balmy!!
DeleteInteresting, I have never eaten a chestnut, but I have seen them being roasted on the street corners in Paris. We did see a lot of those spikey pods on our recent walk of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. This is your old blogging friend Janey from Thick and Thin. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteReally lovely to hear from you Janey - Happy New Year to you both too and hope that you are both keeping well.
DeleteNever have had chestnuts.
ReplyDeleteThey are really delicious.
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