Recipes

[GingerPeach]

Has anyone made this soup before?

Chestnuts are so much like little potatoes, I think it'll be good. 

I caught most of the Hallmark movie "Godwink Christmas" and in it, one of the characters said she was making lentil/chestnut soup.  I'd not heard of that before but it just sounded really good so I looked online for recipes.  I found several and one that looked good to me (this one also included portabello mushroom).

Today I found roasted chestnuts in a bag at Whole Foods at 2 for $5.

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By the way, this is the recipe I thought I'd try:

LENTIL MUSHROOM CHESTNUT SOUP 

Serves: 10

Ingredients

1yellow onion, large, peeled and chopped

• 6carrots, chopped
• 4ribs celery, chopped
• 2tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 pound brown lentils
• 1pound baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 3quarts mushroom or vegetable stock
• 1sprig rosemary, chopped
• 8ounces cream cheese
• 5ounces peeled, cooked chestnuts, chopped
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1teaspoon porcini salt, optional (I'll be using sea salt)
• 1bay leaf

Directions

1. Heat a stock pot over medium and add the olive oil. Add the carrots, celery and onion. Season generously with kosher salt and black pepper. When the veg start to brown, add the mushrooms and let them soften. Then stir in the garlic and raw lentils. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add the bay leaf and rosemary to the pot, stir. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Let the soup cook until the lentils are soft, about 25 minutes.
3. Cut the cream cheese into blobs and add them into the soup, stir to soften and melt into the soup. Add the chestnuts and the porcini salt. After 1 minute the salt will have dissolved. Stir the soup and taste for seasoning.

[shortbreadlover]

have never seen this brand before.  maybe it is not something that we can get out here in the west

[GingerPeach]

I am in California, @shortbreadlover

I wouldn't worry about the brand.  I only showed the package to show people how chestnuts might be packaged in case anyone chooses not to buy fresh ones.

[deepwaterdotter]

I'm not much for lentils, but do like chestnut soup:

1 tbsp butter

12 oz white and green parts of leeks

1 ripe Bartlett or Bosc pear

1 celery rib, chopped

1/4 heaping tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups peeled cooked chestnuts, chopped

3/4 cup half and half

2 tbsp brandy

1/2 tsp sherry vinegar

Halve leeks lengthwise, slice thin, and wash.  Peel and chop pear.  

Melt butter in big saucepan over medium heat.  Cook leeks, pear, celery, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/4 tsp salt until leeks begin to soften.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until leeks and pears are soft, stirring occasionally.

Stir in broth and chestnuts and bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chestnuts are very tender (about 20 minutes).  Remove bay leaf.

Puree with immersion blender until smooth.  Pour into clean saucepan.  Stir in half and half, brandy, vinegar, pinch of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to simmer over medium heat.  

[GingerPeach]

That reads like wonderful flavor to me, @deepwaterdotter

[blackhole99]

I have a Chinese Chestnut tree on my property, but have never done anything with the chestnuts. I don't think chestnuts taste like potatoes, but the recipes for the soup sound really good.

[GingerPeach]

I made the soup today.

It like the taste, and I expect to be even better tomorrow after the flavors have had a chance to blend more.

If anyone makes it, be aware it is more soupy than thick.  I ended up using twice the amount of lentils.  Next time, I may reduce the liquid also.

So far, the chestnut flavor isn't coming through.  Maybe tomorrow it'll be more noticeable.

Oh, I didn't use cream cheese, but yogurt.  That worked very well.

I never said chestnuts TASTE like potatoes, I said they are like potatoes.  In other words, as many others before me have noticed, they have a potato-like texture.

[sidsmom]

@GingerPeach

This sounds good!

I would leave out the cream cheese & oil...and maybe add more lentils,

like you did, and maybe add more root veggies, like parsnips?

Of course I have to figure out how it can be made in the Instant Pot!!