Vegan Appetizers

Chestnut Soup

Ingredients

12 large chestnuts, fresh or jarred
2 TBS. plus 1 tsp. light sesame oil
2 stalks celery
1 small onion
4 cups vegetable stock or 4 cups water and 1 cube of vegetable bullion
1 handful of fresh parsley
8 cremini mushrooms (optional)
2 TBS. mirin rice wine (optional)

Directions

1. If you are using jarred chestnuts (recommended), skip this step. If you have fresh chestnuts, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay the chestnuts out flat on top of the parchment paper. Using a sharp paring knife, make a cut in the shape of a small X on the flat side of each chestnut. Toast in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the skins begin to pull away from each other where the X was made. Remove the shell and skins while the chestnuts are still warm.

2. Set aside 2 chestnuts for garnish.

3. Finely chop the onion and celery.

4. Put 2 TBS. light sesame oil in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Turn the burner on to medium heat. Let the oil heat up for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the onion and a pinch of sea salt. Sautee for 5 minutes.

6. Add the celery and another pinch of sea salt. Sautee, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the onion turns translucent.

7. Add the vegetable stock and 10 chestnuts. Season lightly with sea salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil. When it boils, turn the heat down to low, cover loosely and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chestnuts turn very soft.

8. While the soup is cooking, add 1 tsp. sesame oil to a small frying pan and sautee the chopped mushrooms with a pinch of salt.

9. Chop the 2 reserved chestnuts.

10. If using fresh parsley, wash the parsley and dip it into the boiling water for about 60 seconds. Remove and chop.

11. When the soup has finished cooking (the chestnuts are very soft), puree the soup in a blender.

12. Reheat the soup on low. If you like a thinner soup add 1-2 cups of water or hemp milk (see note below).

13. Add 2 TBS. of mirin rice wine (optional) and garnish each serving with sauteed mushrooms, chopped chestnuts, and parsley.

Notes:

Light sesame oil means light in color, not low in calories. Toasted sesame oil, which is dark in color, has a strong flavor that will overpower the delicate flavors of this soup.

If you add hempmilk to your the, only heat it for a very short time on very low heat or the essential fatty acids in it will become destabilized and the flavor will turn a little bitter.

If you don't have a blender or a food processor, you can serve this soup without pureeing it. Just make sure the chestnuts are chopped into small pieces before you add them to the soup. The soup will have a different character, but will be equally delicious.

Chestnuts are highly susceptible to mold. Unless you have a reliable source of fresh chestnuts, it is better to use jarred chestnuts or dried chestnuts that have been soaked overnight and cooked. If you do buy fresh chestnuts, buy twice as many as you need. Half of them may be moldy.

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