From list-reply@simpleinternet.com Fri Dec 21 13:56:34 2001 Date: 20 Dec 2001 14:29:56 GMT From: International Recipes OnLine Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes Subject: Porcini Chestnut Soup with Root Vegetables and Toasted Cashews Followup-To: rec.food.cooking, rec.food.recipes Porcini Chestnut Soup with Root Vegetables and Toasted Cashews submitted by dave From Yardley, PA, USA I don't bother with limiting my fat intake -- I eat what I like! But this soup is a wonderful compromise. Here, we have a robust, creamy soup that is thickened entirely with chestnuts: a fat-free seasonal ingredient that serves as an excellent thickener... not to mention the wonderful flavor. I don't know the nutritional analysis of this because I just came up with it one day but it can most likely be considered low in fat (at least if you decide to limit or omit the cashews). Serves Four 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms * 2 cups hot water 1 parsnip, diced 2 young carrots, diced 2 large shallots, minced 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 cups chicken, beef, or veal stock + 1 cup water 12 ounces (3/4 pound) bottled whole chestnuts ** 1/2 cup unsalted, unroasted cashews fried onions or leeks to garnish (*) dried happens to be much better here because as it soaks in the hot water, the mushrooms release a full-bodied, rich aroma that unfortunately can't be achieved with fresh porcini (**) bottled is just plan easier to use and the quality is typically excellent. Chestnuts are only in season for a few months out of the year so this might be your only option! Take mushrooms right out of the package and soak in the 2 cups hot water in a medium glass bowl for 20 minutes. Please don't wash the mushrooms -- we will take sanitary precautions a bit later and besides, it defeats the purpose of using the dried mushrooms. Afterwards, water should be notably darker and mushrooms should be tender. Set aside. In large saucepan or stock pot, melt butter over medium heat and add parsnip, carrots, and shallots until tender. Add chicken stock and water. Carefully transfer mushrooms only (without the water) into soup. Add remaining porcini liquid to the pot, being careful to leave out any sediment that may be at the bottom of your bowl. Add chestnuts. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Preheat toaster oven to 250 F. Transfer soup into blender in small batches and puree. You will need to allow enough room in the blender for the liquid and air to move around... a good rule of thumb is to only fill your blender about 1/4 to 1/3 capacity each time. For this recipe, mine took four batches. After all batches are done, return soup to pot and bring to simmer. Lay cashews on aluminum foil and tray in toaster oven, making sure there are no overlaps. Roast cashews in toaster oven at 250 F for 10-15 minutes or until golden and aromatic. Turn toaster oven off but let the cashews stay in. Meanwhile, season soup appropriately and when ready, transfer cashews from toaster oven to the pot. My favorite part of making this was hearing the cashews sizzle as they hit the liquid! Mix cashews in soup, then serve. Garnish with fried onions or fried leeks. Keeps very well over one or two nights. http://www.simpleinternet.com/recipes/ International Recipes OnLine On-Line Culinary Discussion at Food.Chat: http://www.simpleinternet.com/foodchat/ -- Rec.food.recipes is moderated; only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting. Please send recipes, requests, questions or comments to Moderator Patricia Hill at recipes@rt66.com Please allow several days for your submission to appear.