I have been wanting to make this creamy chestnut soup for the longest time.  I was craving that earthy flavor and the sweet aftertaste of castañas (in Spanish) or chestnuts. 

Chestnuts have a very distinctive flavor. Not like the usual nut, they even have a different texture. They are bitter, crunchy, and hard when they are raw but once they have been roasted, they are buttery, hearty,  and sweet. Roasted Chestnuts are so delicious when they are still warm out of the oven or off the fire!

Chestnuts are typically available during the fall and winter seasons. However, nowadays they’re also available vacuum-sealed in bags or jars, already roasted and peeled which is fantastic in order to enjoy them for a little longer. These are the ones I used for this recipe.

Chestnuts are not particularly cheap. The main reason is they’re not easy to harvest. They are usually imported from China, Japan, Turkey, Greece, Europe (often Portugal, Italy), Bolivia. American harvested chestnuts are hard to find.

I bought these in December and they were so good (not sponsored). I snapped a photo just to give you an idea of the ones you can find out there. Roasted and peeled chestnuts can be found in gourmet stores and they are also widely available online (Target, Amazon, etc.). 

Roasting fresh chestnuts at home takes time and work.  They need to be picked, slit cut, and soaked in water. And once they are roasted, they need to be steamed before they get peeled.

This is another reason why pre-cooked and peeled chestnuts are so convenient, especially for this kind of recipe where you are going to cook and mix them with other ingredients. Plus, they are delicious!

Ingredients of Chestnut Soup

• Roasted Chestnuts
• 1 Sweet Onion
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1 Leek
• 1 stalk of celery
• 12 0z of Parsnips – you could also use Mushrooms
• Honey
• Olive Oil
• Butter
• Creme Fraiche, sour cream or cream
• Fresh Thyme
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper
• Sherry (optional) 
• Chicken or Vegetable broth

I decided to use Honey Roasted Parsnips to add a layer of sweet vegetable flavor to the soup. If you prefer, you could use mushrooms instead, which pair very well with the earthly flavor of the chestnuts or just use roasted chestnuts in your soup. 

How to make Chestnut Soup

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F (about 200º C).  Peel and dice the parsnips, toss them in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil and honey, season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until fork-tender.
2. Heat, 1 tbs of olive oil and 1 tbs of butter in a medium/large saucepan (I used a 4.5 lt cast iron french oven) add the onions,  leek,  celery, garlic, season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and sautee for a few minutes,  until fragrant and translucent.
3. Add the chopped chestnuts and stir for a few minutes until integrated with the onions and leeks, add the roasted parsnips and add a splash of the sherry, or broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan and add the broth. Simmer in low heat for 15-20 minutes.
4. Transfer the soup to the blender (in batches if necessary), and process until smooth. Transfer back to the saucepan add the nutmeg and creme fraiche, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

I made ours a little more thick than usual, we really love it this way. You can adjust the consistency of your soup by adding more or less broth according to your preference. 

 

Toppings

Toppings are very important,  especially when it comes to creamy soups.

I used a drizzle of creme fraiche (you could also use cream, yogurt, or sour cream). Fresh thyme, and my favorite croutons, pumpernickel. I like them so much that they were gone while making the soup,  had to go to the store to get some more for the photos (those are gone too).  You could use brown butter sage croutons and pepitas, I posted the recipe for the croutons here.

This soup is earthy, buttery and so smooth. Incredibly warm and cozy. Topped with the tartness of the creme fraiche, the freshness of the thyme, and the crunch of the croutons it is full of balance and textures! 

Here is the recipe. If you decide to give this Chestnut Soup a try,  remember to tag me here so that I can see how it turned out, or leave a comment below! If you want to be updated with the latest posts and recipes you can also follow along here or subscribe to our email list 🙂 xx