Chestnut Soup with Bacon

♫ Chestnuts roasting on an open fire! ♫

That’s the theme today!  I’ve sung the song year after year but I’ve ever actually eaten roasted chestnuts.  Oh, I’m sure in some mixed nut bowl at some point in my life but never identified a specific chestnut.

I was, then, perplexed by this theme.  Would I even be able to find chestnuts?  What should I use them for?  This time of year is crazy, maybe I should just skip it.

But I can’t resist the chance to stretch myself as a cook, so I started looking up chestnut recipes and found that this is a very versatile little nut.  They’re enjoyed roasted on their own or in sweet and savory dishes!

First I needed to find out if I could even get chestnuts locally. I found a bag of roasted chestnuts, and then decided on a pureed soup.

The base of the soup is potato and chestnuts, then it’s layers with a great herb profile and a nice smokiness from bacon!  Overall, the chestnut flavor isn’t prominent but adds a nice depth of flavor.  It is a fantastic soup, especially around the holidays!

Sunday Funday

Chestnuts

• Chestnut Soup with Bacon from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Mushroom & Chestnut Stuffed Pasta Shells from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Roasted Chestnuts from Culinary Cam
• Schezwan Water Chestnuts in Lettuce Wraps from Sneha's Recipe
• Seared Chicken with Chestnuts from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Chestnut Soup with Bacon

Adapted from Simple. Tasty. Good

12 ounces bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot, peeled & diced

1 rib celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 smallish potatoes, diced (about ¾ pound)

5 ounces roasted chestnuts, diced

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon rubbed sage

½ teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

Salt & pepper

In a large soup pot, cook the bacon to crisp.  Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Drain off drippings, reserving about 1 tablespoon drippings in the pan.

Turnt to medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, potatoes, chestnuts, and spices, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Stir in the bacon and serve.