Creamy Mushroom and Chestnut Soup

Deliciously earthy, this Creamy Mushroom and Chestnut Soup is perfect not just for winter, but for whenever chestnuts are in season. After all, it’s always soup season somewhere!

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Course: Appetizer, Mains, Soup, Vegetarian

Cuisine: French, Western

Diet: bay leaf, Chestnuts, creme fraiche, mushrooms, thyme

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 55

Total Time: 1 20

Servings:

Author: Eff | Food Daydreaming

Equipment

Ingredients

180 g roasted chestnuts, about 220g raw chestnuts, peeled and halved
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 brown onion, chopped
400 g Swiss brown mushrooms or button mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, freshly picked
2 bay leaves, fresh if you can find them
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup crème fraiche

Instructions

If you’re roasting your own chestnuts, preheat the oven to 200°C. Carefully make slices along both sides and across the top of the rounded side using scissors or a small pairing knife. Making multiple cuts will allow a larger surface area to split open, making them easier to peel. Make sure to cut through both the shell and the skin below, but try not to cut the nut itself (though it’s not the end of the world if you do).
180 g roasted chestnuts
Arrange the nuts on a baking tray in a single layer, cut side up, making sure to leave some space around each nut. Roast the chestnuts for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the shell and skin has pulled away, exposing the nut beneath, and they’re golden brown, tender and fragrant.
Remove the chestnuts from the oven, and tip them out into a tea towel-lined bowl. Wrap the ends of the towel around the chestnuts and set them aside for 10-15 minutes to steam and cool.
When the chestnuts are cool enough to handle but still quite hot, peel them one at a time, removing both the shell and the fibrous skin beneath. Roughly break up the nuts into smaller pieces and set aside.
In a large dutch oven or heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5-6 minutes, or until it has softened and become translucent.
1 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 brown onion
Add the mushrooms and cook for another 7-8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they have released most of their liquid and shrunk in size.
400 g Swiss brown mushrooms or button mushrooms
Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves and chestnuts. Sauté for 1-2 mins until fragrant.
2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, 2 bay leaves
Add the stock and stir. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
4 cups vegetable stock
Use an immersion blender to blend the soup – I blend it until it’s smooth but you can leave it chunkier if you prefer. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in batches using a blender.
If adding the crème fraiche, add it after the soup has been blended, while it’s still hot but off the heat. Stir it through the soup and taste for seasoning. Garnish the soup with extra thyme and crème fraiche and serve!
salt and pepper to taste, ¼ cup crème fraiche

Cook along with me

Notes

Storage. Allow the soup to cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge, for 4-5 days. If you plan to freeze this soup, leave out the dairy. You can stir it into each individual bowl upon serving instead.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @food_daydreaming or tag #fooddaydreaming on instagram. I love seeing what you all come up with!

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