The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Winter warmer Cream of chestnut soup with smoked pancetta
I’VE decided we need to eat more hot, comforting soup. This one reminds me of winter visits to the eternal city. Wandering the deserted streets after an evening out the aroma of roasted hot chestnuts filled the air.
At many street corners, old men, well wrapped up, stood over a brazier turning carefully arranged glossy chestnuts so that they roasted evenly. The smell was irresistible. They would happily fill a paper poke brimming with chestnuts with a small lip at the side where you could store your empty shells. Dropping then at the sides of the road would not be appreciated.
Tins of chestnuts are available here, but I prefer the French vacuum-packed ones. They’re packed in convenient 200g packs, perfect for making stuffing, roasting with sprouts or making this delicious soup. You can make it ahead of time and freeze it, ready for when you need it.
CREAM OF CHESTNUT SOUP WITH SMOKED PANCETTA
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 small piece dried chilli
200g cubes smoked pancetta or bacon
2 shallots, finely chopped 2 sticks celery, peeled and finely chopped
400g vacuum pack readycooked chestnuts
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1.5 litres boiling water 2 tablespoons dry sherry 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Sea salt and ground black pepper
125ml double cream flat leaf parsley
Method:
Warm the olive oil in a saute pan and gently cook the garlic and chilli to flavour the oil.
Remove the garlic and chilli. Add the smoked pancetta cubes and cook until browned. Set aside a tablespoon of these to garnish. Add the shallots and celery and saute until soft and translucent.
Now, add the chestnuts, stir for a few minutes, (transfer a few as well to garnish).
Add the potatoes, boiling water and sherry. Add the fresh thyme and simmer for
20-25 minutes until the potatoes have softened. Remove the thyme and whizz everything with a hand blender and pass through a sieve to leave a smooth soup.
Add some water if the consistency is too thick and season with sea salt and black pepper.
Reheat and serve garnished with a swirl of cream, some pieces of cooked chestnuts, pancetta and a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley.
Vegan Version
The great thing about this soup is you can easily adjust the recipe to make a vegan version.
Use a homemade vegetable stock or a bought stock cube instead of the water. Leave out the smoked pancetta and the cream. There is plenty of flavour in the chestnuts and herbs to make it tasty.
Serve with olive oil herbed croutons.