Xmas is around the corner, so time for a chestnut soup. I recommend to buy pre-fire-roasted chestnuts, if you have chestnut stalls in your city. The most easy way is to use pre-cooked vaccumed chestnuts from France, but fresh fire-roasted are cleary better. I roasted my chestnuts in the oven, but it is too much work to peel them and also no comparison flavorwise to fire-roasted ones.
Optional you add a pinch of cinnamon to the soup. Or add some roasted bacon cubes on top before serving. Or some whipped cream with pink pepper on top.
This reminds me of travelling to the swiss city of Zurich for Xmas shopping. Such beautiful Xmas atmosphere there, fine shops, great museums and chestnut „Marroni“ stalls at every corner. Even the airport Zurich/Klosten is a treat for shopping.
Ingredients
500g chestnuts (pre-fire-roasted would be best)
1000ml veggie broth
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leave
100-200ml heavy cream
100-200ml Marsala demi-sec or Portwine
Extra:
pinch cinnamon (optional)
roasted bacon cubes (optional)
pink pepper (optional)
Preparation
- Add the fresh chestnuts to a bowl of water for 1-2h
- Criss-cross the skin and put in the oven for 40min by 200 C
- Pell the chestnuts
- Cook the chopped onion in olive oil until translucent
5… Add chestnuts and cook for 2-3min
- Add Marsala or Portwine and reduce a bit
- Add veggie broth and bay leave and cook for 20-30min with lid. Remove bay leaves and use a blender or immersion blender for mixing everything.
- Finally add heavy cream and cook for another 2-3min.
