Pumpkin and Chestnuts Vellutata (Soup)
Looking for an instant warm up for a cold winter day? Or a hearty light & gluten free meal during the holiday period?
Vellutata is the Italian work for "velvety" soup. Beyond smooth and creamy.
This is one of my favourite winter recipes. This pumpkin soup has an extra dose of flavour and class because of the chestnuts, the taste is definitely special. Potato and pumpkin are a great source of nutrients and good carbohydrates, all naturally gluten free.
It is super easy to prepare as almost everything is cooked on one pot. The only prep required is to boil the chestnuts in advance to make sure they're well cooked and smooth.
Bonus tip for flavour: leave a few chestnuts to roast. It's the best way to garnish this flavourful Vellutata.
Ingredients (4 servings)
Photo credit to: Tijana Drndarski
Pumpkin 500 gr (without skin)
Potatoes 150 gr
Chestnuts 150 gr
Onions 1 big
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (evo) as needed
Vegetable Stock 1 cube,
1 L water
Salt & Pepper, Rosemary, Nutmeg to taste
Making Vellutata
Make a cut in each chestnut of about 1 cm. Boil the chestnuts for 30 min with plenty of water. Let it cool down and remove the skin.
Prepare "soffritto", which means to cook the chopped onions with olive oil for about 10 minutes. Start with warming up the oil first, add the onion and reduce to low heat while you stir frequently.
Add the potatoes and pumpkin in cubes. Add some broth (boiling the water with the vegetable stock) and cook for about 20 minutes. Add most of the chestnuts (just leave 8-10 pieces for garnishing) and boil for 20 more minutes, until everything is soft. Add 1 tbsp of rosemary leaves.
Take the chestnuts that you put on a side. Roast them on a pan for about 5-10 min until crunchy (no need to use oil).
Blend everything until creamy with a hand mixer. Season with salt, pepper, evo, a bit of rosemary leaves and nutmeg to taste. Finally garnish with chestnuts and rosemary leaves.
