TulaneLSU's Christmas chestnut soup recipe with 10 photos

Dear Friends,

The news grows bleak each day, almost as if we were in the midwinter. I am warmly nestled in my own self-imposed Lenten quarantine. I am grateful for this time of isolation from the world, and endeavor to use its gifts much as the desert monastics did. Your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes are all appreciated.

While I know we are liturgically in the Lenten season, perhaps a foretaste of Christmas is needed right now. Several of you, after tasting a tiny bowl at one of the post caroling dinners, aggressively sought the recipe for my famous Christmas chestnut soup. I hoped to share this recipe next Autumn or Advent season. However, no day is guaranteed. Today could be my last, and if so, the recipe would be lost to the world. That would not be fair.

I will be sure to include this recipe in the second edition of TulaneLSU's Advent Journey, for which there will be a Gulf Coast wide scavenger hunt for copies. Be sure to start exercising now, so you will be at the front of the pack.



Shall we get started? Okay, we shall.

Let's start with a small list of ingredients. Like all of my recipes, I think anyone with at least one functioning hand and eye in any kitchen should be able to complete the tasks of preparation and cooking. I like simple ingredients, taken at the peak of season.

Ingredients:
1 good size carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery with leaves, finely chopped
2 leaks, finely chopped
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups of chicken broth
1 thyme sprig
1 3" sprig of rosemary
1 cup of unsweetened grape juice



The hardest part of the soup if chopping up the vegetables and getting your soup preparations made. Not included in this picture is making a little bag out of cheese cloth for the rosemary and thyme. Garlic has no place in this recipe or any Christmas chestnut soup. I pity anyone who would suggest such a revolting idea.



So many recipes include alcohol, like wine, but wine is easily substituted with unsweetened grape juice. I do not allow alcohol in my abode nor do I support Big Alcohol, and I encourage you to do the same. One way to accomplish this virtuous task is ridding our recipes of unnecessary alcoholic pollution. Most people say, "The alcohol cooks out." Well, if that's the case, why are you wasting your money on it when you can get better and cheaper substitutes that do not undercut morality and society?

You are aware of my love for Le Sueur peas. It is the only brand item I think it worth the price over the store brand. For chicken broth, I prefer the Walmart Great Value brand (get the regular, not jumbo carton, as the price per ounce is illogically cheaper in the smaller package). Unfortunately, I was out and couldn't afford a trip to Walmart.



All of my chestnuts come from Williams Sonoma. Although prices now for a jar run $20, it is worth it. I usually wait for the after Christmas sale when they can be purchased around $6 a jar. My pantry is filled with jars from many years past, some as with expiration dates of 2015! But the chestnuts have never gone bad on me, even when they are five years out of date. I always taste a few nibbles and look for mold. So far, so good for me. If you're worried about it, just buy some in-date ones. I do not know of any other chestnut carriers besides WS in the NOLA Metro. If you do, I hope you will share that information.



Melt the butter on medium heat and scrape the three vegetables into your Dutch oven. I've always used Dutch ovens made in France. I've looked for Dutch-made Dutch ovens, but have so far come up with nothing.



As most Louisianans are accustomed to a celery, bell pepper, and onion triad, they assume once the onions have sweat, they're cooked. With this recipe, you need to go a little longer than when the celery and leeks, which are always a superior substitute to onions in any recipe, become translucent. The carrots take a little longer to cook. Usually, this process takes about 10 minutes total.



It's now time to add the chestnuts. Simply marvelous. Roasted chestnuts have never been my thing, but a chestnut soup is incredible. These are beautiful chestnuts, and even though they are several years beyond their expiration date, they look, taste, and smell as though they were picked yesterday. One nice thing about this chestnut soup is that it's relatively low in carbs. The chestnuts provide a perfect mealiness, so a flour-base is unnecessary. A hefty serving of this soup, which is satisfactory for a meal, comes in around 20 total carbs, and less than that if you subtract the fiber.



I continue stirring my vegetable mixture and chopping or smashing the chestnuts with a wooden cooking spoon. The end result is a thick paste of Autumn. It usually takes about 5 minutes before all my chestnuts are smashed. That's when I know this mixture is ready for the next step: adding the grape juice and the thyme-rosemary bag. I cooked the combined vegetable-grape juice mix for 5 minutes on medium heat.



Add your chicken stock and bring it to a boil. I then reduce to low heat once it has started bubbling. Leave only partially covered for 30 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, turn the heat off, uncover completely, and remove the rosemary-thyme bag.



Add cream. Using a hand blender, blend the soup until uniform consistency. By this time, the fragrance in your kitchen and home will have you at the very least humming your favorite Christmas carol. And no, please leave Chestnuts Roasting off your Christmas caroling list next year. It has nothing to do with the Christ child.



Depending on your mood, a small dash of truffle oil or olive oil with shaved white truffles will make a nice bow on top of this gastronomic grace to your family or friends. There is no question that at our next Christmas caroling session, I will prepare this soup for you, my dearest friends, as well as some of TulaneLSU's Top 10 Christmas cookies. I cannot wait to see you there.

Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU