Chestnut & Porcini Soup

Name: Chestnut & Porcini Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and minced; 4 branches celery, peeled and minced; 1 russet potato, peeled and diced to 1 inch; 1/2 lb fresh porcini mushroom, cut into a 1-inch dice; 1/2 lb fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced; 1 cup dry sherry; 1 1/2 quarts chicken stock; 1 cup about 12 chestnuts, roasted, peeled and chopped; bouquet of thyme and parsley; 2 bay leaves; 1 cup heavy cream; salt and pepper

Submitted by xtine

"This recipe comes from Hugh Acheson, of the restaurants Five & Ten and The National in Athens, Georgia. Acheson: "This soup marries three flavors I love: chestnuts, sherry and porcini. They just work brilliantly together. If you cannot find fresh porcini, use frozen; if you cannot find frozen use dried; if you cannot find dried, use shiitakes; if you can’t find shiitakes you should consider lobbying for better shopping in your neighborhood. You should be able to find chestnuts at your local farmers market if you are located on the East Coast. If not, conventional grocery stores have cans of roasted and peeled chestnuts, just be sure that you do not get water chestnuts.""

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Ready In:: 1hr 5mins
Ingredients:: 13
Serves:: 8

ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and minced
4 branches celery, peeled and minced
1 russet potato, peeled and diced to 1 inch
¹⁄₂ lb fresh porcini mushroom, cut into a 1-inch dice
¹⁄₂ lb fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup dry sherry
1 ¹⁄₂ quarts chicken stock
1 cup about 12 chestnuts, roasted, peeled and chopped
bouquet of thyme and parsley
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

directions

Place a heavy soup pot or rondeau over medium heat. Add the butter to the pot and when the butter begins to bubble and froth, add the onions and celery and sweat down for 10 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and sauté for 10 minutes. Once the mushrooms are sautéed down a fair bit add the sherry and reduce for 5 minutes.
Add potato and chestnuts to pan and cook for 10 more minutes. At this point you add the chicken stock, the bouquet and the bay leaf and cover. Cook until potato is tender, about 15 minutes.
While still on heat add the cream. Remove bouquet and bay leaves using a slotted spoon or tongs. Remove soup from heat.
Season the soup and then carefully puree it in a blender. Pass through a fine chinois for a smoother texture.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

xtine

I'm originally from Atlanta, GA, but I now live in Brooklyn, NY with my husband, cat, and dog. I'm a film and video editor, but cooking is my main hobby - if you can call something you do multiple times a day a hobby. I enjoy all types of food, from molecular gastronomy to 70's suburban Mom type stuff. While I like to make recipes from cookbooks by true chefs, I don't turn my nose up at Campbell's Cream of Mushroom - I'm not a food snob. I love foods from all nations/cultures, and I am fortunate enough to live in NYC so I can go to restaurants which serve food from pretty much anywhere on the globe. Because of this most of my recipes tend to be in the Western European/American food tradition - I find it easier to pay the experts for more complicated delicacies such as Dosai, Pho & Injera. I really enjoy having so many great food resources available to me here in NYC. One of my favorite stores is Kalustyan's http://www.kalustyans.com/ they have every spice, bean, & grain in the world. If there's something you can't find, look on their website. I bet they'll have it and they can ship it to you! Many of my recipes are Southern, because that's the food I grew up on. I hope the recipes I have posted here will be useful to folks out in the 'zaar universe! <img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg border=0 alt=Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket /> <img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/smPACp.jpg border=0 alt=Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket /> <img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PACfall08partic.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /> <img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/IWasAdoptedfall08.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /> <img src=http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e110/flower753/Food/my3chefsnov2008.jpg alt= />

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