Chestnut Soup

This soup has such a wonderful flavor. It's always a hit at our house. If you can't find bottled chestnuts in your local stores, they can be ordered online. It's definitely worth the trouble. One year, I started with chestnuts in the shells--roasting, peeling, and chopping--but the soup didn't come out nearly as well, and the preparation was much more difficult.

Since we're not alcohol drinkers, I keep bottles of cooking wine and sherry in the 'fridge for recipes like this one. This dish can easily be converted from vegetarian to vegan by substituting olive oil for the butter and rice milk for the regular milk.

UPDATE: I'm adding a  nonalcoholic alternative to sherry.  Tried it this year, and it turned out as well as or better than actual sherry.


CHESTNUT SOUP

7 oz. bottled chestnuts (200g), chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 lg. carrot, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried chervil
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup milk (non-dairy is okay)
2 Tbsp. sherry
      OR 1 Tbsp. apple juice, 1 Tbsp. coffee, pinch vanilla powder*

Melt butter with pepper in a stockpot over med. heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, salt, and herbs. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 min.

Add wine and stock. Stir in chestnuts. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

Remove from heat and stir in milk and sherry or juice, coffee, and vanilla. Purée in batches.** Return to pot for re-heating. Just before serving, heat soup to desired temperature, covered.

Serves 4 - 8 (4 for main dish, 8 cups for appetizer)

* Ground vanilla beans can be bought online.
** For a smooth soup, purée with a food processor. Use an immersion blender for a chunkier texture.

Adapted from a recipe in The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins.

Barely Borscht

This recipe happened accidentally one day when I was concocting a soup made with vegetables I had just bought at the Farmers' Market. Having already put the veggies in, I wondered what kind of seasoning would work, and I looked up soups with beets... bringing me to borscht, of course! All I had to add was cabbage and a bit of vinegar, followed by a slab of cream cheese in the bowl, and I got a nice borscht, made mellow by the squash. Mmmm.

BARELY BORSCHT

1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 med. beet, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 med. onion, chopped
1/4 med. head cabbage, chopped
2 yellow squashes, cubed (or substitute 2 cups peeled winter squash)
5 cups vegetable stock
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cider vinegar
cream cheese

-------

In a soup pot, melt the butter with black pepper added. Sauté the beet, celery, and onion until softened. Add the cabbage and sauté briefly.

Add the stock, squash, salt, and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until squash and beets are tender.

When serving, add 1 Tbsp. cream cheese to each bowl. You can substitute sour cream or yogurt, if you prefer.

Serves 6


For more of my favorite cabbage recipes, see
How to Cook Non-Yucky Cabbage
Cabbage Soup
Colcannon
Maple-Pecan Fried Slaw
Onion Pie

This recipe appears on

Cabbage Soup

Really... this is good... really... I promise. It's the rosemary that makes this so good.

CABBAGE SOUP

1 sm. head cabbage, cored and chopped in about 1” pieces
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups rice milk or regular milk
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

-----------

In the bottom of a soup pot, sauté celery, onions, and pepper in butter until softened. Add cabbage and stir fry for a few minutes. Add milk and bring to a boil--just up to a simmer if using regular milk. Turn heat down and add vegetable stock and salt. Simmer.

Grind the rosemary with a mortar and pestle or finely chop in a food processor. Add to soup.

Continue simmering until cabbage is crisp-tender, or 10-15 minutes. Serve with croutons.

Serves 8

-----------
see: crouton recipe


For more of my favorite cabbage recipes, see
How to Cook Non-Yucky Cabbage
Barely Borscht
Colcannon
Onion Pie
Maple-Pecan Fried Slaw

This recipe appears on