Carrot and Chestnut Soup Recipe

Carrot is an ingredient which is used in many different soup recipes and if you make this delicious carrot and chestnut soup recipe, you will discover that it is delicious alongside chestnuts too. This is a rich and creamy soup as well as being vitamin rich and very healthy as well.

Carrot Soup Starter with Chestnuts

Ingredients -

300 g chopped carrots
300 g chestnuts
2 sprigs flat leaf parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 bay leaf
1 chopped onion
2 sticks celery, sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup pouring cream (optional)
Salt and black pepper
4 cups of chicken stock

Preparation:

Using a sharp knife, score the chestnuts on the base then microwave them on high for a couple of minutes (or bake at 200 degrees C for 15 minutes) until the shells open. Peel while warm.

Melt the butter and oil in a pan over a medium high heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, parsley and bay leaf and stir for 4 or 5 minutes. Add the stock, ginger, chestnuts, salt and pepper, cover and simmer until the chestnuts are tender. This will take about 20 minutes.

Remove the herbs and keep 2 tablespoons of the vegetable and chestnut mixture on one side. Process the vegetables and stock in a blender until smooth then put it back in the pan. Add the pouring cream and warm through without boiling. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls, top withe the reserved vegetable and chestnut mixture and sprinkle some parsley on the top.

Serves 4

The velvety texture of a creamy soup is always welcoming, and the unmistakable flavour of parsnips, blended with a hint of tart cooking apple, is very warming. Root crops of all types thrive in fertile East Anglian soil, but parsnips don't reach their peak until after one or two hard frosts.