I tend to give little updates on my life and family, and I just wanted to share that this has been the week from hell. My beloved mom was rushed to the hospital and it was touch and go for a time but thank G-d, she’s mostly back to herself. I’m deeply grateful and while I wasn’t in shape to post for the last week, since she’s on the mend I allowed myself back into the kitchen, where I find comfort in puttering about.

This lovely soup recipe was given to me by my sis in law Diane when we ate over at her and my bro Avi’s house on a Shabbat. I was really wowed by it, it’s got a delicate flavor with an undernote of the earthy chestnuts and yet it’s not too heavy so it makes a wonderful first course for an elegant meal. It reheats nicely and is good for Passover as well. So let’s wrassle up the ingredients and get choppin’.

You may note there’s canola oil above but you can switch it out with other oil like walnut. I prefer that to olive oil which can overpower the delicate taste.

So get your chopping on and peel and chop the onion and sautee in a soup pot big enough to hold about 8 cups till light brown and slice up the mushrooms and add to the sauteed onions.

Remember, the mushrooms will cook down. Stir into the onions and let cook a few minutes.

Now you simply add everything else, the chopped potatoes, chestnuts (peeled and roasted from a bag), chopped celery and the salt, black pepper and thyme.

Now add the water to cover (about 6 cups) and bring to the boil and lower to simmer. Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes till all ingredients meld nicely and potato is super tender, falling apart.

Remove from flame and take a stick blender and blend till smooth.

Ladle hot into bowls, you can drizzle top with a bit of cream if desired but as is this is vegetarian and even vegan! Delightful, different and elegant.

Diane’s Chestnut Soup

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

about 20 fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 cup chopped celery, 2-3 large stalks

2 large peeled, chopped potatoes (about 500 grams)

3 packages (300 grams or 10.5 ounces) peeled, roasted chestnuts

6 cups water to cover

2 teaspoons salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

Directions:

Saute the chopped onion in 2-3 tablespoons oil till light brown and add the sliced mushrooms, cooking about 4 minutes or till they wilt a bit, tossing with the onion. Now add everything else, the potato, celery, chestnuts, spices and water which should cover the veggies. Bring to the boil and lower to a simmer, simmering away for about 30 minutes. Make sure the vegetables are soft. Take off the fire and carefully with a stick blender (or cool further and use a regular blender) and (watch out it’s hot!) blend till smooth. Taste for salt if you need to add or not. Serve hot.