Chestnut soup

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• ½ kg chestnut(s)
• 100 g onion(s), diced
• 100 g bacon
• 150 g venison ham
• 1 liter vegetable broth
• 200 ml cream
• Carnation(s)
• bay leaves
• ½ cinnamon stick(s)

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

This recipe comes from a chef in Kaprun, Austria. Boil the chestnuts in water for 10 minutes to make them easier to peel. Tip: don’t remove all of the chestnuts from the water at once and let them cool, because once they’ve cooled, the skin between the shell and the chestnut won’t peel off. This is the most time-consuming part, but it’s worth it. Sauté the onions with the lean bacon. Cook the peeled chestnuts in the vegetable broth for about 30 minutes, adding half a cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves, and the sautéed onions/bacon. Then remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaves and pass through a sieve. Add cream to thicken. If the soup isn’t thick enough, we recommend making a roux. Just before serving, add a little venison ham, cut into thin strips. Wild boar ham is also excellent—it just needs to be a bit juicy. The soup is a true poem and, for me, was the second sensible use for a chestnut. Although a roasted chestnut is also a great hand warmer on a cold winter day.