Ingredients needed for your Chestnut cream soup
- 500 g chestnuts
- 1 onion or shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 3/4 tbs olive oil
- 600 ml vegetable stock homemade or bio
- 1 ts thyme leaves dried or fresh
- 4-5 mushroom optional
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
The edible sweet chestnut comes from Asia but today is widespread in North Africa, the Caucasus and southern Europe. In my home country Bulgaria it can be found on the northern slopes of Pirin, Belasitsa, Slavyanka and the western parts of the Balkan Mountains.
Chestnuts have been one of the main food sources in many regions of Europe. Dried chestnuts were used for making flour, which is in no way inferior to the widely-used wheat flour. After the potatoes were brought to Europe, the chestnuts remained in their shadow. Luckily, chestnuts and chestnut flour are regaining popularity in the recent years and there are more and more recipes for tasty chestnut dishes every day.
Chestnuts can be used for both desserts and salty dishes. For example, this lentil and chestnut stew has become one of my favourite recipes. This soup is very easy and requires only a few products, but it’s extremely
How to prepare this chestnut cream soup
Chestnut cream soup
Ingredients
- 500 g chestnuts
- 1 onion or shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 3/4 tbs olive oil
- 600 ml vegetable stock homemade or bio
- 1 ts thyme leaves dried or fresh
- 4-5 mushroom optional
- Salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and cook the chestnuts in boiling water for about 20 minutes. Cut in half with a teaspoon to remove their shell and obtain the nut. It doesn’t matter if you keep the halves whole or smash them a little, you’ll be blending the soup anyway. Peel and chop the onion and the garlic.
- Heat olive oil in a suitable pot. Add the onion and the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes while stirring continuously. You shouldn’t overcook the onion, so lower the heat if necessary.
- Add the chestnuts but don’t forget to leave a few pieces for decoration. Season with salt and black pepper, pour in the broth, add the thyme and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- If you want to add a few mushrooms, heat 1 tbs olive oil and fry the finely sliced mushrooms for 3-4 minutes.
- Blend the soup with a food processor or a blender. Serve in a bowl or a plate with a few pieces of chestnut, mushroom slices and a sprig of fresh thyme.