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Chestnut and Porcini Soup

Cooked chestnuts and dried porcini simmer with onion, celery, and carrot, then blend into a smooth, earthy soup finished with cream and browned mushrooms. Vacuum-packed chestnuts keep it easy, with no peeling.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, European-inspired
Calories: 330
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • For the Soup
  • 1 oz 30g dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 cup 240ml hot water, for soaking
  • 2 tablespoons 28g butter
  • 1 medium onion about 150g, finely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk about 50g, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot about 60g, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • 10 oz 280g cooked, peeled chestnuts (vacuum-packed or jarred)
  • 3 cups 720ml low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup 120ml heavy cream (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • For the Mushroom Topping
  • 6 oz 170g cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon 15ml olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon 4g chopped fresh parsley

Method
 

  1. Place the dried porcini in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot water over them. Press them under the surface and soak for 20 minutes, until soft and pliable.
  2. Lift the porcini out with a spoon, squeezing the liquid back into the bowl. Chop them finely. Strain the soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a paper towel or coffee filter into a measuring cup, leaving the last spoonful behind, since that is where the grit settles.
  3. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent but not browned.
  4. Add the garlic, thyme, and chopped porcini and cook for 2 minutes, until the kitchen smells earthy and fragrant.
  5. Add the chestnuts, stock, strained porcini liquid, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 25 minutes, until the chestnuts break apart easily when pressed with a spoon.
  6. While the soup simmers, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cremini in a single layer and leave them alone for 3 minutes. Stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until deep golden brown on the edges. Season with a pinch of salt.
  7. Remove the bay leaf. Blend the soup in batches, filling the blender no more than half full and leaving the lid vent open under a towel, since hot liquid expands. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth. An immersion blender works too.
  8. Return the soup to the pot over low heat. Stir in the cream and lemon juice. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with the browned mushrooms and parsley.