{Guest Post Friday} Roasted Chestnut Soup

Ok so I have a wonderful guest blogger to introduce to you today!  Remember when I told you about that little interview I did with Rosemary from Sprigs of Rosemary?  {If you haven't then be sure to check it out!}  Well I had so much fun talking with her that I asked her to guest post!

Rosemary {love her name!} is a Pennsylvania native with a huge passion for cooking!  Her heart and souls pours into each and every dish she makes and is clearly evident when browsing through her pictures...which I do on a daily basis.  I mean just take a look at her sweet pumpkin cheesecake or her savory chicken tortilla soup.  Mmm pure perfection.

So without further ado, please welcome Miss Rosemary!

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I'm just delighted to be doing a guest post here at Eat Yourself Skinny.  Kelly's such a lively ball of energy!  And her enthusiasm is contagious.  She makes me want to make the food I cook healthier, even though I'm more inclined to slather on the butter.

So when I found myself with a bunch of fresh chestnuts - thanks to a generous neighbor and our own fledgling tree - I wanted to experiment.  I came across the idea of chestnut soup, and was interested to find a number of variations, although most relied on cream for richness.

This recipe from Cooking Light added a teeny bit of cream on top and it added just the extra bit of richness without going overboard.  A 3/4 cup serving has only 172 calories and the soup is so rich and silky and creamy, you wouldn't know it was "healthy."  And the sprinkle of thyme adds a nice earthy freshness.

The recipe calls for bottled chestnuts, which I've never seen on grocery store shelves around here, and the recipe here is in its original form.  I'm sure roasting the bottled nuts in the oven for several minutes brings back the fresh roasted flavor.  I used fresh chestnuts, however, which aren't easy to crack.  If you've never seen a fresh chestnut, here's what they look like:

You have to wear rubber gloves to handle these guys -- the needles on the outer shell are really sharp.  Then you have to crack the nuts inside.  They're easiest to do when they're warm, either after a few minutes in the microwave or roasting.  (That's if you don't have an "open fire" handy!)  Either way, you have to make an "X" like cut in the nut before warming or roasting or else you'll have a mess!

The soup itself is just wonderful!  Silky, rich and creamy.  Reminded me of a pumpkin or sweet potato soup - but without the starch!  I have to confess that I did add one teeny, tiny bit of indulgence:  I added a teaspoon of dry sherry to the soup pot.  (But that's not necessary, of course.)

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Servings: 10

Serving Size: 3/4 cup 

Calories: 172

Fat: 5.5 g

Carbs: 27.5 g 

Fiber: 3.6 g

Protein: 3.5 g

Old Points: 3.2 pts

Points+: 4 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

3 cups whole roasted bottled chestnuts

2 cups chopped yellow onion

3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot

1 Tbsp olive oil

6 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

5/8 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 1.  Prepare the chestnuts.  Place chestnuts on a jelly-roll pan and bake for 15 minutes.  Place chestnuts in large bowl and cool to room temperature.

Step 2.  Prepare the puree.  Combine onion, carrot and oil on same jelly-roll pain.  Toss to coat the vegetables.  Bake for 1/2 hour or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add the chestnuts in bowl and stir in broth.  Pour half the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour the pureed mixture into a large pot.  Repeat procedure with remaining broth mixture.  Or if you're lucky enough to have an immersion blender, put everything into the large pot and puree it all at once in the pot.  Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Place pot over medium high heat and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Step 3.  Prepare the whipped cream.  Place cream in medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer at high speed until soft peaks form.  Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form.

Step 4.  Serve.  Ladle soup into bowls and top serving with about a teaspoon of whipped cream.  Sprinkle with thyme and serve. 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe