Chestnut soup runs deep in Trás-os-Montes, where chestnut groves shaped whole villages and the magusto (the November chestnut roast) is still practically a holiday. Before potatoes crossed the Atlantic, chestnuts were the daily starch of northern Portugal, and this soup remembers that.
It turns simple ingredients into velvet: roasted chestnuts simmered with carrot, celery and potato, blended creamy, enriched — or not — with a little cream. The natural sweetness of the chestnuts does the heavy lifting.
Vacuum-packed roasted chestnuts make it a weeknight dish; roasting your own makes it an event. Either way, it belongs to autumn.
Portuguese Chestnut Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds fresh chestnuts (or vacuum-packed roasted chestnuts)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
- 6 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup heavy cream (or unsweetened almond milk, for lighter)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley or thyme, for garnish
Instructions
- If using fresh chestnuts: score an X in each, roast at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes until the shells open, cool slightly, and peel away shells and skins. (Skip if using pre-cooked.)
- Heat the olive oil in a big pot and soften the onion and garlic, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery and potato and cook 5 minutes more.
- Add the chestnuts, water, bay leaf and thyme. Boil, then simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and blend until creamy (or half-blend for texture), thinning with water if needed.
- Stir in the cream if using, season, and serve drizzled with olive oil and scattered with fresh herbs.
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