I love Chestnut Soup with Beer. This recipe starts with a “mirepoix”; the traditional starter for many French soups. A mirepoix is a combination of onions, celery and carrots minced together. When sautéed, it forms the flavor base for the soup.
I’ve had the experience of peeling fresh chestnuts and frankly, I didn’t enjoy it. Buying bottled or packaged chestnuts makes them much more user friendly. You can make this Chestnut Soup with Beer velvety smooth; or leave it slightly chunky with bits of chestnut popping up in your spoon. If you choose to purée the soup completely, the result will be much thicker than if you purée half and do a light pulse on the remaining soup. Add more vegetable broth or water to create the right consistency for yourself. I enjoy the flavor of beer and chestnuts together. If you don’t, replace the beer with more vegetable broth or water. For another recipe for Chestnut Soup-with a shot of Apple Brandy- click on the link: Chestnut Soup with Apple Brandy
Prep: 15 minutes
Chestnut Soup with Beer
By Published: April 29, 2022
Yield:
- 10 cups (8 Servings)
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet onions peeled and cored
- 2 large celery stalks washed and trimmed
- 2 medium organic carrots peeled and trimmed
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 28-30 ounces peeled packaged chestnuts
- 12 ounces Dark Beer
- 4 cups Low Salt Vegetable Broth/water
- Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
Equipment
- 6 quart soup pot
- electric food processor steel knife inserted
Directions
- Cut onions, carrots and celery into chunks. Add to processor and pulse on and off until vegetables are minced.
- Heat oil in soup pot over low heat. Add minced vegetables. Sprinkle with salt. Stir well and sauté until onions are translucent and vegetables are soft. Add chestnuts, beer and broth. Stir. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. While soup is simmering, rinse out processor. When soup is done, remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Decide if you want to have a totally smooth puréed soup or you'd prefer a soup with lots of mini morsels running through it. .Add soup mixture to processor, two cups at a time. I like it half and half. I completely purée about half of the soup and pulse the rest til the chestnuts are minced; and then mix it all together. Taste. Add more salt and/or pepper. Serve hot.
