Roasted Chestnut Mushroom Soup

Looking for something a little different for the holidays? Chestnuts are in season, and they make a rich tasting holiday soup! It's definitely something unique that will delight your family and friends. I plan to make it for Thanksgiving! Bags of chestnuts are available in the supermarket this time of year and the recipe is easy.

Chestnuts taste creamy and a little on the sweet side - kind of like a mild sweet potato. Most people have probably never tasted a chestnut.

The first time I had a chestnut was on the streets of NYC around Christmastime when I was a little girl. Many street vendors roasted chestnuts then, and I believe still do today. It was a very cold winter day and my mother bought us a bag of piping hot chestnuts. I'm not sure that I really liked the taste as a little girl, but it was freezing outside and the bag of chestnuts was nice and warm.

You may know chestnuts from the popular Christmas song that begins, " Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" sung by Nat King Cole and written in 1945 by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé.
 It was originally titled: The Christmas Song. 

I recently saw bags of cooked chestnuts marked gluten free in our local supermarket. I bought a bag to make this chestnut soup.

On a side note,  one of my nearby neighborhoods is lined with mature chestnut trees. The beautiful chestnuts fall to the ground starting end of September and many people ( mostly ethnic peoples) come by and collect them. I never realized the prickly sacs that fall to the ground contain four beautiful chestnuts inside. I had seen them on the ground for years and finally asked one of the collectors what it was!! See my post with photos of the trees and all the chestnuts. 

Chestnuts are a true nut with a higher carbohydrate content and lower fat content than most nuts. They contain a good amount of potassium, vitamin C, B-vitamins, and minerals.

The chestnuts in this gluten free soup are paired with mushrooms and seasoned with bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. It makes a rich creamy soup that is traditionally enjoyed during their season from October through December.

See my previous post on purchasing roasted chestnuts.

Ingredients:
olive oil spray or 1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced carrot
3/4 cup sliced celery
1 and 1/2 cups sliced onion in half moons
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
2 leaves of sage
1 sprig rosemary, stripped off the stem
1 sprig of thyme , stripped off the stem
5 cups of strong vegetable broth
1 3.5 ounce bag of roasted chestnuts.
Cracked pepper

Directions:
Spray the bottom of the Instant Pot with olive oil spray or use olive oil. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes stirring. Add celery and mushrooms and continue to saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add carrots, sage, rosemary, thyme, roasted chestnuts and vegetable broth. Close the lid and the steam valve and set to pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Release steam manually according to manufacturer's ingredients. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.    

Just to get you in the mood!
Mel Torme and Judy Garland Sing the popular song!

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