Creamy celeriac and chestnut soup

by Alice on febbraio 1, 2010

Celeriac and chestnut cream soup

Ingredients

100 g dried and peeled chestnuts, soaked in filtered water for 20 minutes
1 medium celeriac, peeled and cut into pieces
whole sea salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan salt, just enough to taste
400 ml filtered water (you can use all or part of the leftover cooking water you used to steam the celeriac)
400 ml plain and unsweetened oat milk
freshly ground black pepper, just enough to taste
hazelnut oil, to taste
fresh parsley leaves, to taste

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

Boil the chestnuts in filtered, slightly salted water until very tender (it will take no less than 30 minutes), then rinse them under cold running water and rub off any dark skins. In the meantime, place the celeriac bits in a steamer fitted over a saucepan, add enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer and sprinkle with some salt. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and steam just until tender (it will take about 15 minutes). Remove the celeriac from the heat and transfer it in the bowl of a food processor, add the chestnuts, olive oil, Himalayan salt, water and oat milk and process until very smooth. Add some more water or milk if you like a runnier soup (using milk only will make the texture a bit richer). Reheat the soup if necessary, then stir it into serving bowls, sprinkle some black pepper and hazelnut oil over it and garnish with the parsley leaves.


Posted in: autumn,gluten-free,lunch-box,savoury,soups,vegetables,winter

{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Virginie P. febbraio 1, 2010 alle 16:28

Very good for winter time. I’m discovering your blog. There are many nice recipes here. Thanks for it. I’m sure you spent lots of time for such a great job.

2 Mihl febbraio 2, 2010 alle 03:55

Chestnuts in soup sound great. Intriguing combination with the parsnips.

3 Mihl febbraio 2, 2010 alle 03:56

Yeah, I meant celeriac. Parsnips have been on my mind all day long.

4 Alice febbraio 2, 2010 alle 06:19

Mihl, I’m sure chestnuts with parsnips are a fantastic combination as well. I like parsnips a lot but they’re not popular around here and very hard to find.

5 Alice febbraio 2, 2010 alle 06:21

Thanks Virginie, I too am spending time on your lovely blog. I’m glad I can read French ;)

6 Alessandra febbraio 3, 2010 alle 13:31

This is very interesting, I am trying to imagine the flavour…I only have 250 g of chestnut flour left here (I used the other 250 to make fritters), but no chance to source dried chestnuts…unless I go to the Chinese shop, but they taste different.

I will have to try it when I return to Italy!

7 No Onion Please febbraio 5, 2010 alle 03:35

It must be delicious! I have never thought of adding chestnuts to soup. Its pretty innovative I must say. Ive bookmarked it as a favorite. I hope I’ll spot soon chestnuts and will be able to try it out (it’s really difficult to find them here). I really like your blog, many nice flavor combos :)

8 Nicole febbraio 5, 2010 alle 03:39

Hi Alice! Really nice blog. I popped over here from your photo on Tastespotting. Beautiful soup. I’m also a big fan of parsnips. I think they’d taste wonderful in this soup. Unfortunately, chestnuts seem to have disappeared from the markets around me. I think the season is coming to an end, but I have a huge stash of walnuts. It may be something to try. I love roasted walnuts and celeriac in a salad, why not soup? Anyways, I think I’ll be browsing for a while on your blog.

9 Tara febbraio 5, 2010 alle 04:20

I love this soup combination and the use of ingredients like oat milk and hazelnut oil. This would definitely impress friends and family! Thanks again for another great recipe idea!

10 Alice febbraio 5, 2010 alle 05:24

Hi Nicole, welcome and thanks for stopping by. Chestnut season is over but you should be able to find dried chestnuts all year round. I know that they can be hard to find anyway. I love walnuts in soup as well. I usually process the walnuts until very fine and add them to thicken veggie based soups. I also made a creamy celeriac soup for a dinner recently and added walnut pesto just before serving.

Thanks Tara :)

11 Sophia febbraio 5, 2010 alle 15:28

What a perfect winter soup. I can just picture myself by the fireplace with this! Most people don’t ever think that chestnuts would work in a soup, but I’m telling you, they are FANTASTIC. This soup looks just as hearty. My family is going to love it! Here’s my fave chestnut soup: http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/chestnut_and_squash_soup.htm

12 Nicole febbraio 9, 2010 alle 01:33

I’ll definitely have to look for dried chestnuts. Can’t say that I’ve ever seen them.

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