Chestnut & Potato Soup

Why am I cooking with chestnuts?  I have several cans of whole, pureed and creamed sweetened chestnuts leftover from a food styling contract, and I am trying to put them to good use.  Chestnuts are not in my repertoire and the only other time I have cooked with them is in a stuffing recipe for another job.  Before that I enjoyed roasted chestnuts sold on the streets of London and that pretty much sums it up. 

This soup is a close interpretation of a recipe from my beloved  Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cook book.   It's a cook book that contains a lot of solid and unpretentious vegan and vegetarian recipes.  I truly wish that Moosewood was my local cafe.  I am a die-hard carnivore but more importantly I am a lover of good food, vegan and vegetarian included.  I could probably survive indefinitely on BLT's from Aux Vivres which are served on homemade chapatis, with a mysterious and delectable vegan mayo and smoked coconut replacing the bacon.

Chestnut and Potato soup

Serves 6-8

• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 30 ml (2 T) butter
• 15 ml ( T) olive oil
• 3 cloves  garlic, smashed
• 1 sprig rosemary
• Small pinch nutmeg
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 L (4 cups) peeled, diced potatoes
• 1 L chicken stock
• 250 ml (1 cup) whole cooked chestnuts (rinsed and drained if from a can)
• 1 bay leaf
• 125 ml 15% cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan saute the onion and shallots in the butter and olive oil for 7 minutes or until they start to brown.  Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the rosemary, nutmeg and celery and saute for 2 minutes more.  Add the potatoes, stock, 180 ml (3/4 cup) of the chestnuts, and the bay leaf and let simmer for 7-10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Let cool slightly, remove the rosemary and bay leaf and puree in batches until smooth.  Add the cream and season to taste. Add the remainder of the chestnuts (that have been diced), to the soup just before serving.