Chestnut Fennel Soup

I ran across chestnuts at the supermarket around Christmas time and thought I'd give chestnut soup a shot. I had only eaten chestnut soup one time in my life, at a restaurant I worked at in Minnesota for their New Year's Eve dinner. And it was wonderful. But it was also primarily cream. When I saw the chestnuts, I did a search for recipes and found this one which is primarily broth/water-based. It only has a 1/4 cup of half&half. I loved this soup. Jim didn't. I don't know why. He only had one spoonful. I finished his. And all of the leftovers! It has a simple elegance to it, and the fennel is so subtle, but so important. I can't wait until next December when chestnuts become available again. I served this with some grilled Mahi Mahi and a simple salad of romaine, fennel, red onions, and Parmesan, dressed with my favorite olive oil (Laudemio) and balsamic vinegar (Cavalli) and S&P.

CHESTNUT FENNEL SOUP

2 cups roasted, shelled, and skinned chestnuts (1 lb in shell or 14 oz bottled whole)

1 shallot, chopped

2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped

6 Tbsp unsalted butter (I only used 2 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp dry white wine

1/2 fennel bulb, stalks and core discarded, bulb coarsely chopped

1 cup chicken broth

2 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup half&half

Coarsely chop chestnuts, reserving 1/3 cup for garnish.

Cook shallot and leeks in a 1 Tbsp (recipe from Epicurious.com calls for 2 Tbsp) butter in a 5-qt heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add wine and simmer until almost all liquid is evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in fennel, broth, chestnuts (excluding garnish), and water, then wimmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in half&half and cool mixture slightly.

Puree mixture in batches in a blender until smooth, tranferring to a bowl. Return soup to pot and bring to a simmer, thinning with water if desired. Season with S&P.

While soup is reheating, heat remaining 4 Tbsp butter (I used 1 Tbsp) in a heavy 10" skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute reserved chestnuts with S&P to taste, stirring constantly, until crisp and butter is browned, about 4 minutes.

Serve soup with chestnuts and drizzled butter. I would also garnish with a bit of chopped parsley, to add color.

This recipe makes about 6 cups (6-8 servings).