Chestnuts in pumpkin soup...find a substitute, or omit alltogether?

[Rikki Jean]

I'm making this pumpkin soup recipe for dinner (I'm using pumpkin instead of butternut squash): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/j...pe2/index.html DS2 can't have nuts yet, so I'm not planning to use the chestnuts. I keep wondering if I'm really going to be altering the flavor of the soup, but I don't know what I'd use in place of them anyway. In certain recipes, I use flax seeds in place of nuts, but I don't think those would go here.

[cristeen]

I'd find another recipe to try. In this instance the chestnut is serving several purposes, including thickener. Chestnuts are very starchy, so pureeing them in the soup thickens it and gives it a creamy texture. It's not as easy as omitting it, and substituting for it is both complex and would drastically alter the flavor.

[henny penny]

A friend of mine has a butternut squash recipe very similar to this one but without the chestnuts, but it DOES have cream cheese blended in until smooth. It is so delicious. About 8 oz cream cheese for two big butternuts. And she blends all the butternut and doesn't leave any whole chunks. If you make those substitutions it would be plenty thickened. And yummy!

[mumkimum]

I find squash soups tend to be pretty thick without help - personally, I think you could pull it off without the chestnuts, maybe use a second onion or add a shallot for more flavor, or use something else like some diced mushrooms.

Yeah, it's going to alter the flavor, but the way they roast the squash with the herbs is pretty tasty sounding enough, plus you have the pancetta (maybe use less of that, since you wouldn't have the chestnuts to balance flavors. . ? just another idea)

[Rikki Jean]

Thanks for the input! I decided to just omit the chestnuts and not worry about it, and it was still yummy and creamy!

I did learn that this is more of a side dish though, and not a main dish for a meal. It was good, but no one was begging for a second full bowl. Whoops!

Originally Posted by henny penny

A friend of mine has a butternut squash recipe very similar to this one but without the chestnuts, but it DOES have cream cheese blended in until smooth. It is so delicious. About 8 oz cream cheese for two big butternuts. And she blends all the butternut and doesn't leave any whole chunks. If you make those substitutions it would be plenty thickened. And yummy!

I *almost* added heavy cream to the recipe, as I'd seen that in another pumpkin soup recipe that I found. I decided not to though, because I knew that we wouldn't be able to finish it tonight, and soups with cream in them don't reheat very well (ask me how I know ).

I did blend the whole thing, which I think was a good move. When I looked at all of the stuff in the pan that wouldn't have been blended, it didn't look very appetizing!

Originally Posted by mumkimum

I find squash soups tend to be pretty thick without help - personally, I think you could pull it off without the chestnuts, maybe use a second onion or add a shallot for more flavor, or use something else like some diced mushrooms.

Yeah, it's going to alter the flavor, but the way they roast the squash with the herbs is pretty tasty sounding enough, plus you have the pancetta (maybe use less of that, since you wouldn't have the chestnuts to balance flavors. . ? just another idea)

I didn't have pancetta (can't find one that's nitrate-free), so I just used bacon. Too bad I didn't read your post first, because reducing that would have probably been a good idea!

[Delicateflower]

If you want to make it thicker, just remove some of the stock before blending.