Spanish Chestnut Soup is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic soup of Spanish (sweet) chestnuts in a meat-based stock flavoured with cayenne pepper and mace that's finished with cream. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Spanish Chestnut Soup.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook. This recipe traditionally uses duck or goose giblets (at least in the original version) but also works very well with turkey giblets.
Original Recipe
124. INGREDIENTS.—3/4 lb. of Spanish chestnuts, 1/4 pint of cream; seasoning to taste of salt, cayenne, and mace; 1 quart of stock No. 105.
Mode.—Take the outer rind from the chestnuts, and put them into a large pan of warm water. As soon as this becomes too hot for the fingers to remain in it, take out the chestnuts, peel them quickly, and immerse them in cold water, and wipe and weigh them. Now cover them with good stock, and stew them gently for rather more than 3/4 of an hour, or until they break when touched with a fork; then drain, pound, and rub them through a fine sieve reversed; add sufficient stock, mace, cayenne, and salt, and stir it often until it boils, and put in the cream. The stock in which the chestnuts are boiled can be used for the soup, when its sweetness is not objected to, or it may, in part, be added to it; and the rule is, that 3/4 lb. of chestnuts should be given to each quart of soup.
Time.—rather more than 1 hour. Average cost per quart, 1s. 6d.
Snip the tops off the chestnuts then plunge in a pan of boiling water. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the outer skins begin to split then drain and set aside until they can be comfortably handled. Remove the outer skins and the papery membranes. Wipe and weigh the chestnuts after shelling.
Transfer to a pan, add the stock then bring to a simmer. Cove the pan and cook gently for a further 45 minutes or so, or until the chestnuts are very tender. Take off the heat and remove the chestnuts from the stock. Either pound to a paste and rub through a fine-meshed sieve to purée, or place in a blender with a little of the stock and purée until smooth.
Add the chestnut paste back to the stock, season to taste with salt, black pepper and ground mace then bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Take off the heat and stir in the cream. Allow to heat through (but do not boil) then take off the heat, ladle into warmed soup bowls (or turn into a tureen) and serve.
