serves
4
prep
25 minutes
cook
1 hour
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
1
hour
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh chestnuts (see Note)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
- 125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine
- ¼ tsp dried thyme (or ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves), plus 1 dried thyme sprig, to serve
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 litre (4 cups) good-quality vegetable stock
- ¼ tsp sea salt flakes
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
Make a long incision into the skin along the rounded side of each chestnut; this will allow the chestnut to breathe while cooking and prevent popping.
To roast the chestnuts, make a fire and allow the wood to burn down to hot coals. Heat a large cast-iron pan or heavy-based frying pan on the hottest part of the coals. Place the chestnuts, cut-side up, in the pan, taking care not to overcrowd the chestnuts. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to roast in 2 batches.
Roast the chestnuts for 5 minutes, then move the pan from the really hot coals to a slightly cooler place (to give a medium-high heat) and give the chestnuts a good stir. Cook, stirring frequently, for a further 15 minutes or until the incisions begin to open and the skins begin to blister and char slightly.
Remove the chestnuts from pan and cool for 1–2 minutes or until not too hot to touch but still quite warm, then peel. A handy trick here is to give the nut a squeeze first to crack open the incision even further, which should allow the shell to come away easier. Discard the shells.
To make the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the leek and fennel, and cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Add the wine and allow it to bubble for 1–2 minutes. Add the thyme, bay leaves, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until thickened. Add the chopped chestnuts, reserving 2 tablespoons to garnish if you like. Return the soup to the boil, then cook, uncovered, for a further 5 minutes or until warmed through.
Remove the bay leaves and blend the soup, in batches, in a food processor. The soup should be a nice smooth and creamy consistency.
Serve at once with a dried thyme sprig and the reserved chopped chestnuts as a garnish. Enjoy.
Note
Some tips on roasting chestnuts:
• When selecting chestnuts, make sure they are firm to the squeeze. If they are soft, they are old and could possibly be mouldy inside. Don’t eat mouldy chestnuts.
• Be careful to only cut the skin and not too deep into the flesh, otherwise your chestnuts will break when peeling, which makes things a little tricky.
• Chestnuts must be peeled when warm. Gloves or a tea towel can help to avoid being scorched!
• Some chestnuts varieties are easier to peel than others. If you are having trouble removing the skin under the shell, use a tea towel to gently rub off.
• After roasting and peeling, chestnuts lose about one-third of their weight – good to remember if your recipe calls for already roasted chestnuts.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
