Wait!!! Don’t hit the “X” button on your screen.

You might be thinking, “A soup made out of nuts? No thanks. I’ll pass.”

But it’s actually a very delicious dish. Let me explain.

I was flipping through a back issue of the magazine, Metropolitan Home, when I came across a recipe for chestnut soup. Hmmmmmm. I was intrigued. I’d never heard of a soup made out of nuts before (keep in mind that I’m originally from Alabama, so, anything not deep fried is pretty exotic to me).

What would it taste like? Being a pureed nut soup, would the final product be grainy or smooth? I went through this deliberation process, but honestly because I love trying new dishes, I had pretty much already made up my mind to give this soup a try.

In addition to being unique, the recipe is also seasonal. With the exception of this delish Cranberry-Lemon Chocolate Tart from last week, I have been trying my best to cook with seasonal (and regional when possible) produce. And what can be more seasonal than roasted chestnuts in January?

I’ve only made a few tweaks to the original recipe.

First, the original recipe called for frozen chestnuts. To me the beauty of cooking is in using all my senses. I wanted to feel the soft but hard shells. I wanted to perfume the house with the smell of the sweet chestnuts roasting away in the oven. I wanted to hear the cracking and feel the anticipation as I work to release the chestnuts from their shells. So there would be no frozen chestnuts in this soup. I wanted the whole experience…I would roast them.

The second change was in how the fat and diary was incorporated into the recipe. The original recipe used only heavy cream which is added in the soup towards the beginning of the cooking process. I am not a big fan of boiling cream in creamed soup. I prefer to cook the vegetables with stock and milk (I use low-fat) and finish the soup off with a bit of heavy cream. It’s a technique from James Peterson’s book ‘Vegetables’ – which to me is the bible of vegetable cooking. The book’s cover proclaims it as “the most authoritative guide to buying, preparing and cooking” vegetable. I agree. It is.

In the end, I really enjoyed the soup and its complex flavor profile. The sweet ‘meatiness’ of the chestnuts paired with the tang of the cream fraiche is a great marriage. It’s also a great ‘soup & sandwich’ soup. It lends itself to being matched with a nice hearty, earthy sandwich.

No sandwich? It works well with a nice glass of dry white wine. Which is what I did.

Note: For a vegetarian version replace chicken stock with veggie stock.

Cheers!

ROASTED CHESTNUT SOUP WITH CRÈME FRAICHE

2 cups fresh chestnuts

½ cup yellow onion, diced

½ TBL dried thyme

1 TSP Kosher salt

2 TBL extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups milk (I prefer low-fat)

4 cups chicken stock (low sodium, reduced fat, if using canned) or veggie stock

1 cup heavy cream

Crème fraiche, for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425⁰F.

Placing the chestnuts flat side down on a dish towel (to prevent slipping), carefully score each with an “X” mark across the shell with a sharp serrated knife. Place chestnut in a baking pan with the “X” side pointing upwards. Roast chestnuts for 20-25 minutes. Remove chestnuts from oven. When they are just cool enough to handle peel them of their shell and inner skin. Note: Peel the chestnuts before they become cold.

Over medium heat, sauté the onions and thyme with a pinch of salt in the olive oil in a heavy bottom sauté pan until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add ½ cup water and simmer gently until the onions are soft and sweet and the water has almost evaporated. Add the milk and chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

Add chestnuts and simmer until chestnuts are falling apart, about 25 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and stir in the heavy cream.

Using a hand held blender, puree soup until it is well blended and smooth. If the soup is too thick for your taste, feel free to add more milk to thin it out (or more heavy cream, if you dare). Salt to taste.

Note: For an extra smooth finish pass soup through a fine strainer after pureeing it).

Serve soup hot with a dollop of crème fraiche and lots of freshly ground black pepper over the top.

Serves 8 to 10

Corn Soup with Basil Oil

You know the saying, “If you love someone/thing let it go and if it comes back to you it’s yours.” Well, I think that’s a bunch of bologna.

Cause I love summer and I am not ready to let it go (although I am totally stoked to break out my new autumn wardrobe. But that’s another story.

So in a futile last ditch effort to keep summer alive, I wanted to post one of my favorite summer recipes – Corn Soup with Basil Oil. Me likey…

and if you use fresh corn during the peek of the season it’s true perfection.

By how I’m going on, you would think that I’ve been making this soup for years. The truth is I just came across it this year while looking for recipes to utilize the bounty of corn that was available at my local farmers’ market. I’ve made this soup a few times this summer.

And a few weeks ago I served it at a dinner party. I was such a hit that I decided that I would post it before the end of the season.

The soup has a beautiful, smooth and velvety texture that becomes apparent the second you dip your spoon into the bowl. It’s luscious and creamy. And then there’s the flavor.  While the corn’s sweetness is definitely there, it’s not overpowering. It fills your mouth with this beautiful balance corn and cream. The basil oil adds the final touch of summer. I mean, corn and basil – what could be more summer-like?

If you’re doing a soup and sandwich meal, this soup would be perfect. The soup’s subtle and fresh flavor would serve as the perfect accompaniment to a hearty and robust sandwich (such as paring the soup with a grilled beef & smoked mozzarella Panini.

You’ll forget that summer is coming to a close.

NOTE: I love fresh uncooked corn but this is not the dish for it. Make sure you thoroughly cook the corn or you’ll have a very starchy soup. For a vegetarian version, swap out the chicken stock for veggie. While fresh corn is ideal, you could use frozen corn kernels (but not canned).

CORN SOUP WITH BASIL OIL

Soup adapted from Vegetables by James Paterson

Basil Oil:

½ cup basil, loosely packed

½ cup light oil (such as walnut, grapeseed)

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add basil and boil for 6 seconds. Remove basil with a strainer and pat dry on a paper towel. Puree in a blender with olive oil. Using a fine mesh strainer, drain basil olive oil and refrigerate in a lid with a tight container. Use within a weeks time.

Corn Soup:

2 TBL unsalted butter, diced

½ medium onion, diced

½ Russet potato, diced

1 ½ cup milk, plus 1 cup

1 ½ cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

3cups of corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

¼ cup heavy cream

½ TSP kosher salt

¼ TSP sugar

Basil oil, for garnish

Heat butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add potato, 1 ½ cups of milk and stock, and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes and add corn kernels. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove soup from stove. Using a hand held emersion blender, process soup until the corn and onions are smooth (alternatively, working in batches, process soup in blender).

Pour soup through a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Use a plastic spatula to stir and scrap corn matter off of strainer to allow soup to continue flowing through the strainer. Return strained soup to the saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

While soup is simmering add heavy cream, kosher salt, sugar and remaining cup of milk. Stirring occasionally, cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from stove. Serve with a few drops of the basil oil.

Makes 4 cups of soup

Purple Potato & Cauliflower Creamed Soup

WAIT!!!!

Don’t adjust your computer screen settings. There’s nothing wrong with your monitor – this soup is actually PURPLE in real life. Yeap… purple. As in dinosaur Barney or Prince (you know, as in ‘Purple Rain’ Prince back before he was the ‘artist formerly known as’).

Like most of you, I am a huge fan of farmers’ markets – I stock up on produce every weekend and cook and snack on them all week long. The best visits are those where I find something new that entices and inspires me so much that I don’t think about how I’m going to prepare it until I get home.

That’s why I am so excited to take part in the first ever “Westchester Farmers’ Market Blog-a-Thon.” Here’s the scoop…

…some of Westchester County’s coolest food bloggers are banding together to launch this week-long effort. Throughout the week, participating bloggers will publish delish recipes that are made primarily with ingredients purchased at one of Westchester’s many farmers’ markets. (Sidebar: Most of you are not from New York State and may not be familiar with Westchester County – it’s the neighboring suburb of New York City).

In addition to recipes, each blog will spotlight a local market by providing photographs of the market and the available produce, as well as provide details on the market’s location and hours of operation. The objective is twofold – first, enjoy and share delicious recipes with fresh and healthy ingredients; and secondly, to support local sustainable farmers.

The following Westchester bloggers are participating in the week-long effort (click the links and check them out):

Chick in the Kitchen

Cooking in Westchester

Culinary Comments by Cinnamon Girl

Farmers Market Cooking

Small Bites

Somebody’s Mom

Sweet Paprika

Now on to this bowl of delicious Purple Potato-Cauliflower soup.

I saw this basket of purple potatoes at the Rye farmers’ market and as with limes from last week’s Key Lime Cream Cuplets, I just scoped them up without much thought. When I got the purple potatoes home, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them. I mean, working with purple food is not an easy thing. I thought about roasting them but that seemed boring and I figured the color would get bleached out – which would defeat the entire purpose. That’s when the idea of a big, soothing bowl of purple soup came to mind (I know, I’m a tad strange).

So, soup it was. It’s a beautiful soup. The flavor is what you would expect from a potato soup – earthy, creamy and comforting. But the cauliflower adds a nice complex flavor that’s a little fuller than just the potatoes alone. With that said, this soup is all about the color. It’s definitely a statement. The color is unique, vibrant and striking – perfect for entertaining. It’s a little different but I say seize the day, throw caution to the wind and cook your heart out.

If you are by chance in the Rye, NY area here’s the scoop on the Rye Farmers Market: Location-Municipal parking lot #2, on Theodore Freund Ave. Times of Operation: Sunday, 8:30AM – 2PM from June-Mid November.

Enjoy!

PURPLE POTATO & CAULIFLOWER SOUP

half onion, diced

one garlic clove, minced

1 lb potatoes, large diced

½ lb cauliflower, diced

2 cups chicken stock (low sodium if using canned)

1 cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

Sautee onions in a medium saucepan over medium heat until they are translucent (about 8 minutes). Add garlic and sauté for additional minute – be careful not to burn garlic).

Add potatoes and cauliflower. Immediately stir in chicken stock. Simmer vegetables until the potatoes are cooked through (about 25 minutes). Stir in milk and cook for additional 10 minutes.

Remove from stove and blend with a handle-held immersion blender until soup is smooth. Stir in heavy cream and serve.

Makes about 4 cups.

Smoked Lentil Soup

“Is that how you eat everyday?”

This was the question posed to me a few days ago at a picnic. I had never met Renee before but she had seen the blog and based off of the last few posts had understandably gotten the impression that we eat duo of lamb with garden scapes, homemade fennel ice cream with sugared puff pastry and beet pasta linguine on a day-to-day basis.

It was a fun exchange and I assured her that until we won the lottery and hired a personal chef, that that was not how we rolled (I hoped I used ‘rolled’ in the correct context. I recently caught an episode of Entourage and now I feel inspired to spice up my vernacular.)

But Renee’s question did get me to thinking that there weren’t that many ‘everyday’ foods on these pages. I mean, man can not live by foie gras alone (well, unless he has a huge stash of Lipitor). So, today I’m sharing one of my favorite ‘go to’ dishes: Smoked Lentil Soup.

This is no dainty watercress soup…this soup is filling. It’s a meal. The kind of soup you can serve as a stand alone meal. It’s almost a stew. And better yet, it’s so easy to make.

If you’re from the South, pairing smoked meats and beans is not a new concept. As a former Alabama boy, I’ve had my share. And usually the smoked meat comes in the form of pork (such as hammocks).

This soup is an offshoot of this classic Southern pairing…with a few twists. Instead of having it as a side, I like to enjoy it as a soup – I find it more filling. And secondly, as a man knocking on the door of 40 years old, I am a little more conscience of what I eat and turkey seems like a more “gut friendly” option than pork.

The beauty of this soup is really in the smoky flavor that is imparted by the meat. It’s not a delicate flavor profile: the meat is hearty and the lentils are earthy. But that’s the whole point…as I mentioned before, this soup is a meal – a comforting meal.

So, go ahead and find that book you’ve meaning to read, serve yourself a bowl of Smoked Lentil Soup, pour a nice glass of red wine and enjoy your “me time.”

Leave the rest of the soup of the stove. The family can fend for themselves.

SMOKED LENTIL SOUP

Have it you way: Play around with the some of the ingredients to suit your own taste. Don’t like parsley? Then toss in some chives. Want to the soup to be a bit more creamy? Then add a little more cream. Counting calories? Then reduce or omit the cream all together.

1 whole smoked turkey wing (or two smoked hammocks)

5 cups chicken stock (low sodium, if using canned)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup carrot, chopped

½ cup chopped onion, plus ¼ minced onion

1½ cup lentils

3 cups water

Salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste

4 tbl Heavy Cream (optional)

2 tbl fresh parsley, chopped

Put the smoked meat, chicken stock, bay leaf and oregano in a medium sized sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes with lid on. Remove smoked meat from pot and with a fork pick pieces of meat off of the bone. Diuscard the bones and skin. Return the meat to the pot and add the carrot, chopped onion, lentils and water. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes (until the lentils are soft and have just started to pop open). Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves.

Salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, stir in warm water.

Stir in heavy cream, parsley and minced onions.

Serves 6-8

Cream of Leek & Parsnip Soup

Ugh!

You’re thinking, “It can’t be good when someone starts a food blog post with the exclamation, ‘Ugh!’” And you are so right. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was on cloud nine about the start of spring – remember the fava bean post? How fast things change. I woke up this morning with itchy eyes and I instantly knew what the day had in store for me. To head off a full-blown allergy attack, I dart to the medicine cabinet and pop a Zyrtec. I have no time for allergies today; I’m much too excited to tell you guys about this soup!

The soup. The funny thing about liking this soup so much is that it started off as a Refrigerator Roulette dinner. You know. You want something to eat (not takeout) and you’ve resigned yourself to making a meal out of whatever you have on hand in the refrigerator – which could be a dangerous game to play if you haven’t gone to the market in a while. So, with a little nervous anticipation, I slowly open the refrigerator door to take stock of the inventory. Along with the usual suspects, I instantly spot a few things that I may be able to work with: parsnips, cream, low fat milk, slightly past its prime leeks, slab bacon, pomegranate juice. I smile. I send up a grateful ‘thank you’ to the Refrigerator Roulette gods and start putting a plan in motion.

Since I hate to let anything go to waste, I wanted to work with the leeks before they were completely unusable. I wanted something quick and easy – something that I could get in and out of in a hurry. Soup! I’ll make a leek soup. I check the drawer where I keep potatoes, hopefully I have a few. I do!

I was in the mood for being a tad adventurous. I wanted to add another level of flavor to the dish. Something that was mild but still added its own distinct flavor. And that’s when the parsnips piqued my interest. My thinking was that if I added them in the right proportions, the parsnips wouldn’t take control of the soup and would add a nice little ‘under flavor,’ an extra twist.

I go to my favorite cookbooks and peruse other creamed vegetable recipes (broccoli, cauliflower) to get a general guide on the milk/cream-stock-veggie proportions. I start cooking.

The results? First, Jonathan and I thought the soup was delicious – What? You didn’t think I was going to post it if it had flopped, did you?

We loved the flavor. There is the mild earthy flavor of the leeks, tempered by the creamy Yukon Gold potatoes. And the parsnips? Well, they don’t overpower the dish. They just add this slightly tangy flavor that lingers after the initial creaminess subsides. People will taste it but they may have a hard time identifying the ingredient. I definitely recommend this one. It’s a keeper.

Add your own twist and let me know how it goes. Bon appetite!

CREAM OF LEEK & PARSNIP SOUP

If you can, use Yukon Gold potatoes. They have a smooth, creamy texture that works well in blended soups.

I prefer to use separate pans to cook the bacon and the soup. Cooking bacon leaves behind solids in the pan – which is normally a great thing. But the flavor of the bacon solids will dominate the soup, turning your leek soup into a bacon soup. If you use the same pan, do a quick rinse before moving on to cooking the soup.

For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and use 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to sauté leeks. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken.

¾ cups diced bacon, cut into ¼” wide strips from slab bacon
1 cup diced leeks, white and pale green, plus 4″ of one leaf cut into chiffonades 1/4 cup diced parsnips
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups of chicken stock (if using can, use low sodium)
1 cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
Salt & White pepper
In a saucepan over medium heat, sautéed the bacon until it’s cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set aside bacon and reserve rendered fat.

In a medium stock pot, add the bacon fat and cook leeks and parsnips with ¼ teaspoon of salt until leeks become translucent (be careful not to brown vegetables). Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add potatoes, chicken stock and milk. Simmer until the potatoes have cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add heavy cream. Blend with an immersion blender until soup has a smooth, velvety texture. Alternatively, pour soup into a standard blender and puree until smooth.

Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with bacon strips and chiffonaded leeks.

Serves 4