Where can I forage for chestnuts?

In the autumn, it's time to go collecting the chestnuts. Especially after a storm, you can find the thorny shells split open on the ground with the precious chestnuts around them. The fruits belong to the beech family and are, therefore, nuts. Not to be confused with the horse chestnut, which is a maple tree with poisonous fruit. The trees can be distinguished clearly by their leaves: the leaves of the chestnut tree are elongated, roughly serrated, up to 20 centimeters long, and hang individually from the stem. The leaves of the horse chestnut are finger-shaped, with five to seven egg-shaped leaves on a stem. Also, the chestnuts look quite distinct, so there is little risk of confusing them.

Are chestnuts healthy?

Yes, chestnuts are super healthy and used to be a valuable staple food for overwintering. They are rich in starch and sugar and, therefore, a fantastic option for baking bread. They will keep you full and taste sweet and nutty. Chestnuts are nuts but contain less fat and calories than other kinds of nuts, which is why a large amount can be added to our soup without making it super heavy. They also contain a lot of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese. Plus vitamins C and E, many B vitamins, and provitamin A. The nuts are rich in valuable nutrients, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. By the way, chestnuts are gluten-free!

Chestnut Soup - Let's Go Tomato

Name: Chestnut Soup
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: 500g chestnuts fresh in shell equal to 400g peeled; 320g sweet potato; 120g onions; 130g carrots; 150g celery; chopped large-leaf parsley; 20ml olive oil; 200ml orange juice from one orange; 200ml vegan soy cream; 800ml water; 1 tbsp baharat; Salt; Pepper; 100g chestnuts chopped; 15g vegan substitute butter; 1 pomegranate; Chopped large-leaf parsley

Ingredients

Units Scale

500g chestnuts fresh in shell equal to 400g peeled
320g sweet potato
120g onions
130g carrots
150g celery
chopped large-leaf parsley
20ml olive oil
200ml orange juice from one orange
200ml vegan soy cream
800ml water
1 tbsp baharat
Salt
Pepper

Topping:

100g chestnuts chopped
15g vegan substitute butter
1 pomegranate
Chopped large-leaf parsley

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Instructions

To skin chestnuts:

Wash the chestnuts thoroughly. Leave them in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain in a sieve.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F degrees (top-bottom heat), and place an ovenproof dish filled with water on the bottom of the oven.
Take a sharp knife and cut a cross on one side of each chestnut.
Place the chestnuts on a baking tray for about 20-25 minutes until the skin bursts open and the chestnuts are soft. Leave the chestnuts to cool briefly, but peel them while still warm.

Soup:

Take a large soup pot, add the olive oil.
Peel and dice the onions, add them to the preheated pot, sautee the onions until translucent.
Wash and cut the carrots, sweet potato, celery, parsley – and chop the chestnuts.
Add the chopped carrots and celery to the onions in the pot.
Sauté briefly and then add the water.
Add the Baharat spice mix, sweet potatoes, parsley (save a bowl full for topping), and chestnuts.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then put the lid on the pot and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes at a low temperature.
Turn off the oven, use a hand blender to puree the soup.
Squeeze the juice of a fresh orange into the soup and add the vegan cream.
Puree everything again until the soup is creamy.

Topping:

Chestnuts:

Melt the vegan butter in a frying pan and add the chopped chestnuts.
Fry them while stirring occasionally. Once they have developed light golden brown, season with salt, put them in a bowl, and leave to cool until you are ready to use them as a topping.

Pomegranate:

Fill a bowl with water, large enough to submerge the pomegranate in it.
Take a kitchen knife, score the top where the blossom was and peel off the top.
Scratch down the shell on the outside of the pomegranate, where the white skin inside divides the pomegranate forms chambers.
Carefully break the pomegranate apart by hand under water along the incisions.
Work the pieces under water with your fingers to remove the seeds. You can easily separate the white skin from the seeds, it floats to the top and can be skimmed of.
The delicious pomegranate seeds are all collected at the bottom of the bowl. Once finished, you can pour off the water and have the pomegranate seeds.

Parsley:

We have already used chopped parsley in the soup and saved some for the topping.

Author: Tanja
Prep Time: 35 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Cooking
Cuisine: International
Diet: Vegan