Ingredients
About 2C chestnuts, blanched & peeled
6-8C stock
About 750gm butternut pumpkin, peeled & cubed
2 onions, chopped
couple of stalks of celery, chopped
1 – 1½ Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (oregano is good)
salt and pepper
good pinch nutmeg
cream
chopped chives
Summary
This is a simple family recipe comes from Kate, our customer service maestro. Her partner’s family also grow a lot of chestnuts and have passed on their classic soup recipe for us to share. And if you’re lucky enough to have quite a few chestnuts (buy in bulk while you can), you can blanch and peel them, then store them in the freezer to throw handfuls in soups and stews all winter long. Great tip, thanks Robyn!
CHESTNUT & PUMPKIN SOUP
Slit the chestnuts on the flat side and boil in water for 10-15 minutes. Remove outer shell & peel away the brown skin.
In a large saucepan combine the stock, chestnuts, pumpkin, onion, celery & chopped herbs.
Bring to boil, reduce to a brisk simmer and allow to cook over moderate heat until the pumpkin & chestnuts are tender.
Process soup (use stick blender or transfer to an upright blender) until it is a smooth texture. Season to taste with salt, freshly cracked pepper & nutmeg.
If necessary, re-heat gently, then ladle into bowl. Pour a little cream into bowl and top with chives.
