So cold!
The cold change came so unexpectedly on Sunday, there is no trace of summer left. Even the golden sunny days are now replaced with gray winter days.
At the market, autumn produces are making their ways. While I still crave for stone fruits, they are certainly dearer and not as tasty. Instead, apples, pears and persimmons are more abundant. I am enjoying them in a great deal, especially the small and crispy apples. Just perfect balance of sweet and sour notes.
And of course, chestnuts are finally here. By that, I mean fresh chestnuts, the autumn chestnuts, which are sold in the market. It has been a tradition in our family. We always roast our chestnuts. Every autumn and early winter, without fail. This year, however, since the Husband has found his new love in cracking those lovely fresh Victorian walnuts, I have the chance to save up some chestnuts to do something differently. Nothing spectacular, just a simple soup that I have meant to cook for a long time.
I won´t lie. Australian chestnuts are a pain to peel. Maggie Beer has complained about it. So as @lemonpi and @reemski. It took me quite a while to peel all the chestnuts, which made the soup even more special. (I saw some “easy-to-peel” chestnuts at the market on Saturday. A little too late since I already got 1kg in my bag. Next time, then!).
Two things to remember for this super simple recipe. Use home-made chicken stock. Cream is not necessary, so next time I will drop it entirely. The soup is so sweet, nutty and creamy. It is fairly rich, so serve in small portions as entrée is ideal.
Based on “Harvest” by Maggie Beer.
Ingredients
1 leek, white part only, finely diced
2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
500g blanched chestnuts (make a cross on the skin, boil and peel the skin off)
1 bay leaf
2 tbp olive oil
sea salt
1.5 litre chicken stock
pepper
cream (very optional)
Method
Heat the olive oil, add in leek, celery, chestnuts and bay leaf. Stir over medium high heat until everything is soft.
Season with salt.
Add in the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the chetsnuts are soft (30 mins).
Remove the bay leaf. Blend well in a food processor until smooth. Check seasoning. Add the cream.
Reheat gently then serve.
Note: this soup is specificaly prepared to contribute to World Autism Awareness Day organised by the lovely Neil of At my table. I’m terribly late, but it’s better than never. You can see other dishes contributed here.
A delicious looking soup!
Looking at your pictures cools down my mood a lot. You can't imagine how hot it is at my place, and to prove that my head is even hotter, the silly me cooked a large pot of Korean hot spicy kimchi stew today (@_@) The weather is driving me crazy, indeed (T_T)
Rich and creamy! I never have this soup before.
This soup is new to me. It looks so inviting! Must taste great too. Can't wait to try it out soon.
So distinctive and elegant soup.
Beautiful colors..You are so artistic.I love chestnuts..
Ah, so lovely. I love chestnuts and I adore them in soup!
I cannot even think cold! It is so pretty out here..
This looks delicious. I love chestnuts but have never eaten a soup version
Such a beautiful thing, a beautiful recipe. I don't much care that it's spring here, either.
I can't wait for next winter when chesnuts are in season and I can make this lovely recipe! A real winner, Anh!
Lovely photos! I adore Autumn produce and made pumpkin soup myself last night. I can't wait to get my hands on some fresh chestnuts, those look amazing!
That is a gorgeous-looking soup! Easy-to-peel chestnuts? I will have to keep my eyes 'peeled', hahaha!
mmm. this is something new!
I ruined a manicure last year with peeling some for a chestnut puree and candied chestnuts. I was so glad to see them at the market last weekend!
wonderful blog, wonderful photos
oh yum! I love chestnuts eaten as it is after boiled. But i can imagine how good it'll be in a soup
I just love roasted chestnuts. Good call!
I wish for some cold, it's so hot in Singapore. Your soup looks deliciously creamy & hearty
Thank you for sharing! I've been wanting to make something with chestnuts! Looks delicious!
Gorgeous pictures. Totally captured the autumn mood. Love a good chestnut soup
Oh, I do want this awfully! I snapped up every chestnut dessert I could find when in Paris last month, but somehow I think making a chestnut soup for myself will be an easier task than trying to make a chestnut fondant cake!
It's so wonderfully strange reading that summer is just ending there and the cold days of winter are approaching. Here in Holland spring is in the air! I love chestnut soup.Your version looks great.
Oh gosh I -love- chestnuts! They're so sadly overlooked in the states, so you rarely see them used. Now I'm almost sad that we're moving away from the colder months over here, I'd love to make this soup!
yum. i've never tried chestnut soup before, probably because the idea of cooking with chestnuts makes me a little nervous
I have a bag of peeled chestnuts from the asian groceries that I've been saving for a special dish – this is it!
Hmm I've never thought of a chestnut soup. But it does sound delish and creamy. Very wintery dish as well.
Oh I so hear you Anh! Everytime I peel chestnuts I end up with bits under my fingernails..so owie! Just bought a 1 kg bag of chestnuts yesterday, they looked so good couldn't resist…been wondering what to do with them. This soup sounds good. And looks good too
simply beautiful… from the look to the sound of it!
Oh! What a nice soup…chestnuts…must taste delicious. Very creative!
I love chestnuts too! Soups are perfect for the cold autumn days and nights. I also love the color scheme of your whole presentation. It's very autumn-ey
Gorgeous pictures – as always. Will try this recipe once I've managed to convince mr foodwink to do the peeling. *evil grin*