CHESTNUT SOUP

Here's a rich-tasting and delightful soup for the holidays. You can roast and peel fresh chestnuts for this recipe, or save yourself a lot of time and use the peeled chestnuts that are available vacuum packed in jars - they're fine.

4 medium leeks, white only (2 cups chopped)
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 Tbs. butter
2 tsp. olive oil
salt
2 Tbs. dry sherry
1 large stalk celery, chopped
3 cups peeled, roasted chestnuts (1 1/2 lbs. in shells, or 15 oz.jar)
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. cream, more to taste
fresh ground black pepper
cayenne pepper

In a nonstick soup pot, saut the chopped leeks and shallots in the butter and olive oil, with a dash of salt, until they are soft and turning golden brown in spots - about ten to fifteen minutes. Add the sherry, and stir over medium heat for about another minute.

Add the celery, all but 1/2 cup of the chestnuts, the broth and the water. Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. If the liquid reduces too much, and tastes overly salty, add back a bit of water. Stir in the milk and cream, and puree the soup in batches in a blender.

Return the soup to the pot, heat it to just under a simmer, and taste. Finish seasoning with additional salt if needed, some fresh ground black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.

Coarsely chop the remaining half cup of chestnuts and sprinkle a spoonful over each bowl of soup as a garnish. If you like, additional cream can be drizzled over the soup before the chestnut garnish is added.

Serves 8.

TO ROAST FRESH CHESTNUTS

Cut an X in the flat side of each chestnut, using a very sharp knife, and cutting only through the shell. Soak the chestnuts in warm water for about twenty minutes, then drain them and spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast them in a 350oven for about fifteen minutes, or until you see the cut shells beginning to turn up at the corners. Peel the chestnuts while hot, or at least warm, then blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes and rub them in a towel to remove the skins. (Now do you think it's worth it to buy that jar of roasted, peeled chestnuts?)