The choice of seasonal products is often preferred by chefs and restaurants, and chestnuts are among the protagonists of the colder months. Especially in Victoria, where over 75% of the Australian chestnut production is found.
The chestnut soup with homemade bread "in a pan" as presented by Il Giro d’Italia's chef Domenico De Marco could be one of the dishes to be prepared in the coming months.
ImageChestnut soup with home-made bread
Ingredients (for 4 people)
For the soup
- 500 gr of chestnuts
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 leek
- 1 carrot
- 1 white onion
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 clove of garlic
For the "pot-made" bread
- 350 gr of lukewarm water (26/27°)
- 2 grams of dry yeast or 4 grams of beer yeast
- Flour 00
- 7 gr of cooking salt
- Pot of 26 cm in diameter
Method
For the bread
- Melt the yeast in the warm water, then add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon.
- When everything is well mixed, add the salt and mix again.
- Line the pan with baking paper and add the dough. Leave to rise for 3 hours.
- Bake at 190 degrees for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 150 ° and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, allow to cool and remove the loaf of bread.
For the soup
- Wash the chestnuts and make an X incision in the lower part. Boil for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the vegetable broth with celery, leek, carrot and onion.
- In the meantime, peel the chestnuts and put 4/5 of them aside. Add the rest to about 400 gr of broth.
- Cook until boiling and then blend.
- Cut two slices of the homemade bread into cubes. Pan-fry with extra virgin olive oil and an unpeeled garlic clove.
- Put the croutons in a broth dish and pour the soup. Garnish with the chestnuts set aside and a drizzle of oil.
For advice on how to present the soup or which wine to combine, listen to the interview (only available in Italian)
