Name: Creamy bacon and celeriac soup with fried chestnuts
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1½ tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, coarsely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, bruised; 500 gm piece rindless bacon, thinly sliced and coarsely chopped; 1.5 kg celeriac (about 4 small celeriac; 1kg peeled weight), coarsely chopped; 1 royal blue potato (about 250gm), coarsely chopped; 1 litre chicken stock (4 cups); 150 gm crème fraîche; 200 ml pouring cream; To serve: crusty bread; Fried chestnuts, bacon and rosemary; 2 tbsp olive oil; 12 peeled chestnuts (about 120gm), halved; 100 gm piece bacon, cut into 2cm pieces; 1 tbsp rosemary sprigs

Creamy bacon and celeriac soup with fried chestnuts

Just add an open fire and a glass of red.

Serves 6

Prep

30M

Cook

40M

Total

1H 10M

Skip to Recipe

Just add an open fire and a glass of red.

Ingredients

1½ tbsp olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, bruised

500 gm piece rindless bacon, thinly sliced and coarsely chopped

1.5 kg celeriac (about 4 small celeriac; 1kg peeled weight), coarsely chopped

1 royal blue potato (about 250gm), coarsely chopped

1 litre chicken stock (4 cups)

150 gm crème fraîche

200 ml pouring cream

To serve: crusty bread

Fried chestnuts, bacon and rosemary

2 tbsp olive oil

12 peeled chestnuts (about 120gm), halved

100 gm piece bacon, cut into 2cm pieces

1 tbsp rosemary sprigs

Method

Main

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and stir occasionally until just tender (5 minutes), then add bacon and stir occasionally until bacon is tender (5-10 minutes). Add celeriac, potato and stock and bring to the simmer, then cover and cook until potato and celeriac are tender (30 minutes). Add crème fraîche and cream and blend, in batches in a blender or with a hand-held blender, until smooth. Season to taste and keep warm.

2.Meanwhile, for fried chestnuts, bacon and rosemary, heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat, add chestnuts and bacon and stir occasionally until golden (5-6 minutes). Add rosemary, stir until just crisp (1 minute). Serve scattered over soup, with crusty bread.