Creamy & Dreamy: Chestnut Soup (Potage di Marroni)

pressure cooker chestnut soup
The fruits of autumn are a bright spot of what would ordinarily be a dull, gray season. Chestnuts, in particular, are so versatile. They can be served both in savory and sweet dishes, they can be ground into flour or… well everyone knows they are pretty delicious on their own roasted on an open fire.

I present a soup that is embarrassingly simple to make and, thanks to your pressure cooker, it’s fast.. too!

Not everyone can get their hands on fresh, beautiful chestnuts. And if they can, not everyone is that excited to peel them. I have included instructions for using fresh, dried and canned chestnuts.

This is a very rich soup in both flavor and content, so a little goes a long way if you’re planning to use this as an opener to an elaborate dinner.

Chestnut Soup Pressure Cooker Recipe

Pressure Cooker Accessories Pr. Cook Time Pr. Level Open
5 L or larger  none  15-20 min. High (2) Natural

1.5 lbs (750g) of Fresh, 1/2 lb (250g) dry, or 1 lb (500g) of Jarred/vacum-packed Chestnuts (see instructions for each, below)
4 Tbsp. butter
1 stalk Celery, roughly chopped
1 Onion, roughly sliced
1 sprig Sage
1/4 tsp. White Pepper
1 Bay Laurel Leaf
1 Medium Potato, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cups (1lt) Chicken Stock

2 Tbsp. Rum
A few scrapes of nutmeg

For Garnish:
 Whole Cream
 Fresh Nutmeg shavings
 Sage leaves

Prepare the Chestnuts:
Fresh chestnuts - prepare according to the chestnut truffle recipe.  They will be puree’d so need to do extra effort to keep the chestnuts whole.
Dry chestnuts- place in large bowl and cover with about 4 cups (1L) of milk and cover with plastic wrap.  Let soak in the refrigerator overnight. Drain and rinse.
Canned chestnuts – drain and rinse.
Vacum-packed chestnuts – rinse.

Prepare the Soup:
In your pre-heated pressure cooker, on medium heat without the lid,  add the butter, celery, onion, sage, white pepper and sautee’ until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).

Add the potato, bay leaf, chestnuts and stock.

Close and lock the pressure cooker. Turn the heat up high and when the pan reaches pressure, lower the heat and count 15-20 minutes cooking time at HIGH pressure.

When time is up, release pressure using the Natural method – move the pressure cooker to a cool burner and do not do anything, wait for the pressure to come down on it’s own (about 10 minutes). If the pressure has not come down in 10 minutes, release the rest of the pressure using the Normal pressure release – push, twist or lift the button or valve to release pressure.

Remove the bay leaf, add the Rum, a few gratings of nutmeg and puree the contents of the pressure cooker with an immersion blender.

Serve with a swirl of fresh cream a fresh nutmeg shavings.

Serves 6-8


Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min