We recently dined at Circa The Prince in St Kilda, and I was really surprised by the Chestnut soup we were served.  I asked chef, Matt Wilkinson, if he would share the recipe with me. He graciously agreed. The soup I made isn’t quite as refined as the one they serve at Circa but the flavour is divine.  Chestnuts are in season right now, but fleeting.  So grab some at your next farmers market and give this a go.

Chestnut and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

(serves 4 for entree)

400 grams cooked and peeled chestnuts

200 grams jerusalem artichokes roasted for about 20mins in duck or pork fat until soft

200 grams shallots, finely diced

2 garlic gloves finely sliced

Thyme sprigs

Bay leaves

60ml brandy

Water

Milk

Seasoning

Pancetta or good quality bacon

The main ingredients

In a medium size saucepan melt a knob of butter and add some olive oil.  Add the shallots and fry until translucent, add garlic and cook for a few minutes.

Add jerusalem artichokes and chestnuts (reserve 3 chestnuts for garnish) and stir well.  Add 1 – 2 bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, 60 ml Brandy and water to just cover.  Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, covered until everything is soft (45 – 60 mins)

Not the most attractive soup

Use a hand blender or a Mouli to puree the soup.  I used a Mouli as Iknew I’d left quite a few of the inner shells on the chestnuts and the Mouli would separate these our for me.  Pass the puree through a sieve into the rinsed pan and warm through before tasting and adjusting seasoning.  Add up to 1/2 cup of milk or cream to thin the soup to the preferred consistency.

Delicious garnishes

Take 12 thing slices of pancetta  about 10 cm long and fry gently in a small frypan to render the fat and crisp the pancetta.

Remove and drain well.  Fry thin slices of the reserved chestnuts for a few minutes until they are crispy.  Remove and drain.

Serve with a few bits of pancetta, some chestnuts and a sprig on thyme as garnish.

Matt says ” I add the roasted Jerusalem Artichokes to give a little more earthiness to the soup. Try Cheesenutz in Northern Victoria for ready peeled chestnuts”

It’s a delicious soup and it’s a great tip – I really don’t love peeling chestnuts.  Unfortunately they are all sold out this year.

This entry was posted Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 at 9:32 pm and is filed under Recipe . You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.