Chestnut Soup

Name: Chestnut Soup
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter; 1 onion, chopped; 1 1/2 pounds fresh chestnuts, boiled and peeled (page 453), or 2 cups thawed frozen or canned chestnuts, drained and rinsed; 1 quart beef, chicken, or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 160 or 162), or water; Salt and black pepper to taste; 1/2 cup heavy cream, or more to taste

December 14, 2011

Throughout the northern Mediterranean littoral, chestnuts not only grow on trees; they fall to the ground each autumn and are, for many people, a free crop. (They once did the same on this continent, but a blight wiped them out.) The first fall I visited northern Italy, I saw them drop and realized there were more than anyone could possibly eat. As a result, they are used in a much wider array of dishes there than they are here. This is a rich soup, one that can be made in a matter of minutes with cooked, frozen, or even canned chestnuts, and the results are inevitably good. Add a little splash of port just before serving to give this a bit of a kick.

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