Creamy Roasted Chestnut & Mushroom Soup
Creamy Roasted Chestnut & Mushroom Soup. Anyone else totally sick of this cold weather?! I know I am, but soup kind of makes for the perfect cold winter night dinner. So I guess there is some upside right?! Anyway this soup is super cozy and definitely delicious. It’s got a whole lot of comforting flavors, there’s the chestnuts, leeks, and parsnips. It’s got a little bit of cream, a little bit of sherry. Then it’s topped with loads of herby mushrooms...my favorite part. Cheers to a cozy, warming Monday dinner...so who’s bringing the wine ?! ;)
So the cold month of January doesn’t exactly look like it’s ready to end anytime soon, but we’re getting there…sort of. Anyway, that just means we’re all for the comfy, cozy dishes. I kind of live for soup in January and basically all winter. Yes, I love soup all year long, but there’s just something so cozy about a nice, big bowl of soup to unwind with in the midst of winter.
This roasted chestnut soup was one I had in mind to make for a while now. I started picturing this soup back around the holiday season. Chestnuts are super festive for the holidays, but somehow this idea kind of fell off the radar. Today, we were up in the air about what soup to make, and somehow this one popped back in my mind. I am super glad it did because even though it’s not thanksgiving or Christmas season anymore, this soup is still totally GOOD.
Creamy, herby, heart-warming, feel-good soup. This is one you really just cannot go wrong with. Now…the true question, what wine are we drinking with this perfect bowl?!
Ingredients
For the Soup
2 tablespoons butter
4 leeks; sliced
12 ounces parsnips; peeled & chopped
1 (5.2 ounce) bag shelled, roasted chestnuts
salt and pepper
1/3 cup sherry wine
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1/3 cup heavy cream
For the Garnish
2 tablespoons butter
14 ounces mixed mushrooms; sliced
salt
heavy cream for drizzling
fresh thyme leaves
Directions
In a large stock pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks. Sauté for 3 - 5 minutes until tender. Add the parsnips and chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Stir for 3 minutes. Add the sherry and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and thyme. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat. Remove the thyme sprigs. Puree with an emersion blender until smooth. Stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms. In a medium skillet, melt the butter. When sizzling, add the mushrooms. Season with salt. Let them caramelize for a few minutes before turning them. Sauté until liquid has evaporated.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with mushrooms. Drizzle with cream. Garnish with thyme leaves and freshly cracked black pepper.
