CHESTNUT AND PORCINI SOUP

CHESTNUT SOUP

250 g Nirvana chestnut meal*

100gm fresh porcini mushrooms

600 ml chicken or vegetable stock

15g butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 stick celery chopped

1 medium onion finely chopped

1/2 to 1 cup cream

Salt and pepper to taste

A few sliced chestnuts or sliced porcinis lightly fried to garnish.

Heat oil and butter together, add onion, and cook until the onion is soft but not coloured .Add celery and sliced porcini cook till soft. Stir in chestnut meal and allow cooking for 2 minutes. Add stock; season to taste. Stir until boiling, simmer soup for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool slightly. Puree in blender or with stick blender until very smooth.

Return to pan and add cream.( optional) Warm gently and serve.

To serve float chestnuts or porcinis on top of soup .

*CHESTNUT MEAL

Chestnut meal is par cooked and sieved fresh chestnuts prepared ready to create either savoury or sweet dishes.

Chestnut meal can be used to make chestnut puree which is the base for many recipes. It can be used to replace cooked chestnuts where they are then mashed or cooked in liquid. Chestnut meal can also replace chestnut flour in most recipes by adding less liquid.