Roasted Chestnut Soup

13. Dec, 2011 Comments Off

I always thought as a Minnesotan that winter can never come too soon. Winter has always meant snowball fights, midnight sledding trips, clearing the lake in the back yard for ice skating, and two whole weeks of vacation to enjoy it all. Even the winters that I’ve spent mostly away from Minnesota, I’ve had the chance to return for a few weeks– in the case of last winter, almost two months– and relish the moment of playfulness in the snow. I’d never be one of those grumpy, boring adults that sees snow only as a nuisance to wipe from the car before a long morning commute.

So this year when the temperatures started dropping, I was surprised to find myself dreading the impending winter. I might not have a long morning commute, but it’s on a bike with no shelter from the wind. I’d gotten used to a mild fall and weekends spent romping around outside. Suddenly I have to change my lifestyle because of a few lousy degrees? Bah humbug.

Thankfully, I live with a group of boys that remind me that just one year out of college doesn’t mean we have to become stuffy adults. We might not get an absurdly long winter break any more, but that just requires finding the energy after a workday to enjoy the change of seasons. This weekend we bought our very first Christmas tree to put up in our own home, and went grocery shopping as a house (/family) for holiday goodies. Somewhere on the trip, a handful of fresh raw chestnuts was grabbed, and I decided to make a festive chestnut soup as a starter for dinner. There have been several winter-inspired soups brewed this December already, but one of them has been a clear winner so far. This chestnut soup was a great way to warm up– and as an added bonus, makes the house fragrant with roasted chestnuts and red wine!

Roasted Chestnut Soup

Active time: 30 min. Total time: 1 hour. Makes 5-6 servings as a starter soup.

about a dozen whole chestnuts
1 Tbsp of butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup of chopped carrot (~1 large carrot)
1 cup of chopped celery (2-3 celery stalks)
1 clove of garlic
3 cups of veggie broth (or water)
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup red wine (dry, such as Madeira)
1 teaspoon of thyme
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread out the chestnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, enough so that they are easy to peel. Let cool for five minutes and peel chestnuts using a nutcracker or your hands.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt a tablespoon of butter and add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Sautee until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent, just over five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, so the garlic becomes fragrant. Then add the vegetable broth, red wine and chestnuts, reduce heat and let simmer covered for twenty minutes.

Puree soup in small batches in a blender (be careful, it’s hot!) until smooth. Stir in the cream and seasonings to taste. I recommend serving it garnished with a dollop of creme fresh and a sprig of fresh thyme for finer company.