While making this soup I wondered why we eat chestnuts at Christmas. I decided to search the ‘tinternet’ for an answer. The first reason it came back with was that eating chestnuts was fashionable in America. Chestnut tress used to grow all over the country. The chestnuts would fall from the trees in late Autumn and became a hugely popular ingredient in many dishes.
Sadly, an Asian variety of chestnut tree was delivered to Long Island in 1904 and it has a disease that killed a lot of the chestnut trees across America. We have been eating chestnuts for thousands of years. Their are recipes dating back to the Greek and Romans. Chestnuts were free to the rich and the poor. Throughout history chestnuts have been a staple in many peoples diets and I feel it’s about time this beautiful nut has a comeback. That’s when I decided to put it into this soup and it was so tasty I had to share the recipe with you.
Have you ever eaten chestnuts and if so what did you enjoy in them in or with? Let me know in the comments below and please don’t forget to like and follow me.
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Tablespoon
- Teaspoon
- Blender
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- Cauliflower x 500g
- Chestnuts x 200g
- Onion x 1
- Garlic x 2 – 4 cloves
- Dried mixed herbs x 1 – 2 tsps
- Olive oil x 2 tbsps
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable stock or chicken stock x 1ltr
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4. (Depending on your oven.)
- Cut the cauliflower into florets and put them into the baking tray.
- Slice the top and bottom from the onion and cut into quarters.
- Put the onion quarters into the baking tray along with the garlic and dried mixed herbs.
- Add in the chestnuts and sprinkle over salt and pepper to your tastes.
- Drizzle over the olive oil and toss all the ingredients in the oil.
- Put the baking tray into the oven for about 25 – 30 minutes or until everything is golden brown on the edges.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Pour half the chicken stock into the blender and add half the baking tray ingredients.
- Now pour the soup into the saucepan.
- Repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients.
- Again pour the rest of the soup into the saucepan and heat through if necessary.
- Then serve with cheesy bread or my chickpea flour wraps and enjoy.
Roasted Cauliflower and Chestnut Soup was a hit with my son Ted and myself. My husband Howard wasn’t so keen. Although Howard didn’t enjoy the soup that much Ted and I thought it was delicious. It would make a nice starter to Christmas lunch or it would also make a really great evening meal too. The best part is all the ingredients are freezable so you could freeze this meal in advance and then just heat it up on the day it defrosts. However you decide to eat this dish, as always, please enjoy. Thank you xxx
Googies Kitchen Life 