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Another chestnut and squash soup

>> Wednesday, October 7, 2009


Fall is here. I still keep a certain amount of dried chestnuts in my pantry. My favorite fruit store has squash. Saturn is aligned with Jupiter. Everything pushes me to prepare a flavorful and comforting soup. It's not a very original proposal, but I've renovated the recipe by adding an obscene amount of alcohol...


Boozy chestnut and squash soup

  • 1/2kg squash
  • 250g dried chestnuts (equivalent to 400g fresh chestnuts, though I prefer them dried, at least you don't need to peel them)
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 generous glass sweet wine (OK, two glasses, one for the soup and another one for the cook... I used a Pedro Ximenez wine, Dos pasas, but any good tawny Port or moscatel would do)
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 1l water, chicken or vegetable stock
  • Oil for frying the onion
  • Salt to taste
If you use dried chestnuts, leave them overnight in water to soak. Afterwards I thought it would have been maybe a good idea to soak them in the wine, the flavor could have been stronger. The next day heat the oven to 180°C. Brush the squash portion with oil and roast it for around half an hour till cooked through. In the meantime, boil the chestnuts in the wine and prepare the sofrito with the finely minced onion and a little oil. Test the squash with a knife for doneness. If it's cooked, peel it, cut it in several pieces and add to the chestnut pan. Add the sofrito when the onion is thoroughly soft. Then add the liquid and boil everything until the chestnuts are tender.


Finally add the nutmeg and the salt. Puree the mixture in a blender until very fine. Of course I use my Thermomix. Use a foodmill if your machine is not powerful enough to get rid of little hard chestnut pieces. Once everything is pureed, adjust the salt to your taste. I had to add a lot, more than 2 teaspoons, because all the ingredients are sweet in fact. Adjust the liquid also if needed, depending on the thickness.


I loved the result, you can clearly notice the sweet wine flavor, therefore I recommend to use a medium-high quality wine (well, not too high, that would be a sin). Funnily enough, you can clearly make out the different flavors: the sweetness of the squash and the onion, and the earthiness of the chestnuts. For serving this kind of soup I find that little slivers of bacon or jamón, fried or roasted till very crispy, are a match made in heaven (no, don't fry or roast Ibérico ham for this! That would be another sin). I cut the slices in little pieces and microwave them. It's quick, clean and easy. Mmmm, this soup matches the Sunday roast perfectly...

27 comentarios:

Diana Bauman October 7, 2009 at 8:28 PM  

Oh my, I just bought a bottle of moscatel. This soup must taste amazing!

Mardi Michels October 7, 2009 at 8:37 PM  

What a beautiful recipe and perfect for the autumn. I love the jamón on top....

Unknown October 7, 2009 at 8:46 PM  

Mmm - perfect fall soup! If the warmth of the soup doesn't warm you up, the booze will!

Tasty Trix October 7, 2009 at 9:20 PM  

The boozier the better, I say!

Table Talk October 8, 2009 at 3:29 AM  

The crispy jamon sealed the deal for me on this soup---mmm

Vera October 8, 2009 at 5:26 AM  

It looks so inviting! Perfect comfort food!

Shwetha October 8, 2009 at 8:24 AM  

Its so delightful to see that you have a Spanish version of The Winter Guest. I think it's charming.
Beautiful picture, I simply adore the colors you've brought out.

Miriam October 8, 2009 at 9:25 AM  

Diana: I think the sweet wine gives it a wonderful flavor!
Mardi: thanks!
ValleyWriter: certainly ;-)
Tasty Trix: ha ha ;-)
Table Talk: it's a very good addition.
Vera: yes, thanks!
Shwetha: of course, I'm Spanish! English is not my mother tongue... as you might have noticed :-) Thanks!

TasteHongKong October 8, 2009 at 4:32 PM  

Feeling warm.

Anonymous October 9, 2009 at 12:54 PM  

What a beautiful looking soup! I just bought a bunch of chestnuts (fresh, not dried) and am very excited to experiment with them. Thanks for sharing a great fall recipe!

Anna October 9, 2009 at 4:30 PM  

Lovely lovely soup, Looks yummy.

high/low October 9, 2009 at 4:40 PM  

Your photos are beautiful! Very inspiring recipes! Congrats on the Top 9!

Jessie October 9, 2009 at 6:55 PM  

first off, I love how festive the colors are in the photos it celebrates fall. That soup looks wonderful and very comforting

Divina Pe October 9, 2009 at 7:27 PM  

That soup looks heavenly. Haven't tried that combination before. I could almost feel the texture of the soup and the wonderful taste of all the flavors. Thanks for sharing.

My Man's Belly October 9, 2009 at 8:21 PM  

That soup looks and sounds divine. I'm drooling all over my keyboard right now with your mention of iberico ham. I was just in Madrid last week and ate it almost everyday.

lululu October 9, 2009 at 11:53 PM  

i love the way u take pictures. so dramatic but colorful, crisp and gorgeous!

Miriam October 11, 2009 at 12:32 PM  

TasteHK: yes... that's the idea!
Tokyoterrace: thanks!
Anna: thank you!
High/low: thanks!
Jessie: thanks!
Divina: thanks!
My man's belly: wow, then you know what I'm talking about.
Lululu: thanks, I enjoy food photography a lot!

Anonymous October 13, 2009 at 5:28 PM  

Sounds delicious! Perfect for a cold day.

Tasty Eats At Home October 13, 2009 at 9:59 PM  

your photos are absolutely gorgeous. This does sound good!

Simones Kitchen October 14, 2009 at 8:46 AM  

What a lovely blog you have! Thanks for visiting mine, so I could actually discover yours... Love it!

Miriam October 14, 2009 at 11:06 AM  

Pink: yes, though we haven't had many here so far...
Tasty: thank you, you know I love your pics too!
Simone: thanks a lot, that's actually very flattering coming from a professional!

Anonymous October 17, 2009 at 6:42 PM  

It's a cold and dreary day here in the Northeast and this soup warms me up just by looking at it. Thanks for sharing :)

Miriam October 18, 2009 at 12:43 PM  

Sophie: thanks!
Myblissfulbites: thank youuuu!

we are never full October 21, 2009 at 12:29 AM  

that roasted squash looks like a cake! looks ridiculously luscious.

Miriam October 21, 2009 at 1:08 PM  

Amy: yes, it looks strange...

Robynn in Paris October 1, 2011 at 10:17 PM  

I made this soup last week, and it was fantastic! I used Muscadet and added some creme fraiche at the end, and topped with crisply fried pancetta. I made my own herby vegetable stock, also seasoned with sea salt, and that balanced out the sweetness of the squash, chestnuts and wine. I know I will make this again and again...especially during early fall, when the chestnuts ripen and fall! Gracias!

Miriam October 3, 2011 at 9:41 AM  

Robynn, you're making me drool with your description! So glad you liked it. I'm also looking forward to the chestnut season...yum.

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