Chestnut Soup w/ King Oyster Mushrooms
Ingredients
For Soup Base
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 18 oz pkg whole roasted & peeled chestnuts
- kosher salt & black pepper to taste
- 1” piece of ginger, peeled & grated
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 3 small potatoes, peeled & diced (about 3 cups) - Yukon Gold suggested
- 2 tbsp spiced rum
- 2 tbsp apple cider
- enough fresh water to cover ingredients by 2"
For Mushrooms
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided as needed while cooking
- 3 large king oyster mushrooms, sliced into disks & scored
- black pepper to taste
- 1” piece of ginger unpeeled
- 1 clove garlic, unpeeled & smashed
- leaves of 5 sprigs of thyme
- 2 tbsp butter
Special Equipment
- microplane
- offset spatula
- large sauté pan
- immersion blender
How-to
Make Soup Base
- In a medium pan, melt butter and allow it to cook until slightly browned over medium heat
- Add chestnuts, salt and pepper. Add grated ginger and garlic. Stir and cook until garlic starts to almost brown
- Add potatoes, stir. Deglaze with rum and cider, and stir to get the flavorful bits off the bottom of the pan
- Cover with water to 2” over the potatoes and chestnuts
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, about 20 minutes or until potatoes and chestnuts are tender
Sauté Mushrooms
- In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, pepper, ginger and garlic. Cook one minute, then flip when golden. Allow second side to sauté about 30 seconds
- Add thyme and butter. Tip pan to spoon butter over mushrooms, basting with the pan juices. Cook 1 more minute
- Test for doneness with a cake tester or a toothpick
Purée & Serve
- Purée soup with hand-held immersion blender. If using household blender, allow mixture to cool slightly before transferring and puréeing
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed
- Spoon into individual bowls and garnish with sautéed mushrooms