Holiday Soup Ideas: Chestnut, Celery and Apple Soup with Roasted Chestnuts

Holiday Soup Ideas: Chestnut, Celery and Apple Soup with Roasted Chestnuts

It's been a few weeks since I was 'Seriously Soupy' - a combination of non-blogging priorities and sheer exhaustion have kept me away. But, I was recently inspired to return to my soup pot thanks to Emily (of Brooklyn Cookery) who told me about this delicious root vegetable soup recipe by Daniel Boulud. I didn't have the celeriac root so I substituted for celery and used Fiji apples instead of McIntosh. Emily made this soup before me and noted that she used less stock then the recipe asked for. She also added more heavy cream and some butter. I also wanted a thicker soup and used two cups of stock (instead of 4 quarts). I also roasted some chestnuts as a garnish, that when mixed into the soup, made the soup a very rich with a nice crunch. This is definitely one to try out over the holidays and one that is easy enough to vary depending on what ingredients you have at home.

Chestnut, Celery and Apple Soup, Adapted from Daniel Boulud's Recipe
From Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud Cookbook, Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan, Scribner 1999.
Makes 4 servings 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 medium leek, white part only, trimmed, thinly sliced, washed and dried
2 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch cubes
*4 celery ribs, cut up or from Daniel Boulud's recipe -10 ounces celery root, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
*Pinch of celery salt
3/4 pound peeled fresh chestnuts from 1 ¼ pounds chestnuts in shells, or 3/4 pound dry-packed bottled or vacuum-sealed peeled fresh chestnuts
2 quarts homemade unsalted chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

*Changes to the original recipe

Directions:
1) Heat the oil in a stockpot or large casserole over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, apples, celery root, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the onions and leeks are soft but not colored. Add the chestnuts and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, skimming the surface regularly, 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chestnuts can be mashed easily with a fork. Add the heavy cream and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more, then discard the bay leaf and thyme.

2) Purée the soup until smooth using a blender, food processor or hand-held immersion blender, then pass it through a fine-mesh strainer. At this point, you should have about 2 quarts of soup. If you have more, or if you think the soup is too thin – the soup should have the consistency of a velouté or light cream soup – simmer it over medium heat until thickened. Taste and, if necessary, adjust the seasoning. (The soup can be cooled completely and stored in a covered jar in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to a month. Bring the soup back to a boil before serving.)

* 3) Place a few chestnuts in a pan and let cook on a medium heat. Add some soup (about 2 tablespoons) and let the mixture cook with the chestnuts (about 5 minutes). Top the soup with the chestnuts and enjoy!u 

To serve: Reheat the soup, if necessary – the soup really needs to be hot – and ladle it into warm bowls.

What soups will you be making over the holidays?