CHESTNUT SOUP

OK - with sincere apologies to those who have been waiting for this since our soup day at work - here at last is the recipe for that fantastic Chestnut Soup I made!

Chestnut Soup

Ingredients – serves 4-6

1kg shelled chestnuts (yields 500 grams)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
to taste sea-salt and pepper
300ml cream
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Method:
Score chestnuts - by carefully cutting a cross into husk and roast for 20 mins with unpeeled garlic. Once they cool, the shell and thin lining are hard to remove so protect your hands and peel quickly. Squeeze garlic out of skin.

Warm oil in a heavy-based saucepan.

Sweat onion, celery and diced carrots in a small amount of oil.

Add whole chestnuts and stock and bring to the boil.

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend with stick mixer, stir in cream, grate nutmeg over and season to taste. Add more stock, veges, chestnuts and cream as needed to make greater quantity – volumes approx.

Serving Suggestion: Slurp beside a raging fire