Chestnut Soup

"Chestnuts roasting on on open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose..." Well, not quite. It's hovering around 50 degrees today in DC, but we do have had some chestnuts roasting in a hot oven! Whatever the temperature, put on some Nat King Cole and try this ultra velvety soup. It's a perfect starter to Christmas dinner or a great idea with those leftover chestnuts from your holiday party.

A few weeks ago, we'd tossed around the idea of this soup after one of Margaret's customers came in looking for chestnuts. What sealed the deal, though, was the chestnut pasta in Thomas Keller's French Laundry. It was the perfect inspiration, especially with regard to ingredients.

There are obvious pros and cons to roasting and peeling the chestnuts yourself. The benefits are the extra hint of flavor and the chance to become intimately familiar with the main ingredient. You'll find that in its solid, peeled state it's similar in texture and flavor to yuca or a plantain. This makes sense as it's often used in soups, stews, and stuffings. It contains more starch and less oil than most nuts, so it's often treated as a vegetable. The drawbacks to roasting and peeling yourself is that after about 15 minutes, your nails will start telling you it's a little labor-intensive. You also can't really delegate it off to your kids as "fun time in the kitchen" (unless you have a pair of these peeling gloves), because your best bet is to peel while they're still hot or warm. There were two of us and it took about 15 minutes. If you don't have the ambition or patience to do it yourself, no need for self-loathing. Just find a jar at Williams Sonoma, Whole Foods, or your favorite gourmet grocer. It will make this soup a cinch and then you can spend time and energy on holiday dishes like the roast beast!

We'd originally set out to use a bit of cream and mascarpone like Keller does in the sauce on his chestnut-stuffed agnolotti, but then decided it was excessive for a soup. Chestnuts have a very delicate, sweet flavor and we feared these two things might overwhelm the star ingredient. Not to mention, chestnuts are so creamy on their own, why add the extra fat and calories.

But, on that note, WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T OVERLOOK THE FONTINA. We used Fontina Val d'Aosta, a nutty and earthy cow's milk cheese that compliments the soup very well. We suggest sprinkling some on each serving and maybe leaving extra out out on the table for people to supplement as they wish.

I wasn't crazy about a drizzle of white truffle oil at the end, but my palate probably isn't as advanced as Margaret's. She thought it was interesting and added a little earthiness. My bowl was sans truffle oil. If you have some on hand you might as well try it on a serving to see if you like it, but it's definitely not necessary.

Side note: We've been on a homemade gnocchi kick for the past few weeks and chestnut fontina gnocchi is definitely on the to-do list now!

Chestnut Soup
Makes about 4 cups

2 lbs of whole chestnuts (or 2-1/2 cups, roasted and peeled)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 cup celery root, peeled and diced
1 cup Yukon gold potatoes,
diced bay leaf
5-6 cups vegetable stock
fontina cheese, applied liberally
(we used Fontina Val d'Aosta)

Other optional garnishes:
white truffle oil
green onions
sauteed bacon
sauteed mushrooms
reserved sauteed chestnuts, chopped or sliced

1. If you already have roasted and peeled chestnuts, skip to Step 3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take chestnuts and, using a paring knife, score them with an X or horizontally on both sides. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and massage until covered. Roast in oven until skins start to crack open, about 15 minutes.

2. Once chestnut skins start to crack open, remove them from the oven and start to peel of the skins while they're still warm, ending up with about 2-1/2 cups. Optional: set aside 4 of them for garnish.

3. Using a stock pot, melt butter and a 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Then add garlic and saute for about 2-3 more minutes. Add 4 cups of stock, 1/2 cup of celery root, potato, chestnuts, and bay leaf. Simmer for about 20 minutes, tasting and stirring occasionally as you go. Add 1/2 cup more celery root as needed, being careful not to overwhelm the flavor of the chestnuts.

4. Using a food processor or an immersion blender, puree in batches or blend the soup until smooth. Add 1 or 2 additional cups of stock as needed while pureeing. Then using a ladle or spoon, push puree through a sieve into another pot. Repeat this last step a time or two to maximize the velvety smooth texture.

5. Ladle into bowls and garnish liberally with fontina cheese and a couple of the reserved chestnuts.

Inspired by Thomas Keller's Chestnut Agnolotti.