Chestnut soup
Ingredients
- 300g dried chestnuts
- A generous knob of butter
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 leek finely sliced
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 1.5 litres vegetable stock
- 1 small glass sherry
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground ginger
- 200ml single cream
- 8 slices pancetta grilled until crisp
- Croutons
Method
- Wash chestnuts a couple of times and soak them, preferably overnight.
- The next day remove any remaining peel then put all the chestnuts into a large saucepan with water.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for about an hour (a pressure cooker with reduce the cooking time considerably).
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and fry the onion, leek and celery till soft but not coloured.
- Add the carrot, and chestnuts, stock and bay, with salt and pepper to taste.
- Boil, then simmer for 10 mins.
- Add the sherry and simmer once more for a further 20 mins. Once the carrot is soft, remove the bay leaf and blend till smooth.
- Stir in the cream and check the seasoning.
- Crumble the pancetta and then serve topped with croutons and pancetta.
