Creamy Chestnut & Tilapia Soup

This is a very thick, creamy soup which sits nicely in your belly.  It has a mealy taste, but I like that.  By taking out the tilapia, you can make it a straight-forward vegetarian dish.

Creamy Chestnut & Tilapia Soup

2 tilapia filets (about 3/4 lb)
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks (about 5 small ones)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, tied together
2-3 bay leaves
2 cups chopped celery (about 5 stalks)
4 cups diced potatoes (about 1-1/2 lbs = 2 large potatoes)
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups milk
1-3/4 cups (8.5 oz jar) chopped roast chestnuts
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
fresh parsley or green onions, to garnish

Lightly oil a medium skillet and warm pan over medium-high heat.  Salt and pepper the tilapia filets on both sides, then place in the heated skillet.  Cover and let cook 3-4 minutes.  Uncover and flip the filets, then cook covered for another 3-4 minutes.  Keep cooking until filets are whitened through.

Once cooked, using your spatula, flake the filets and then set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. 

Saute the leeks with the garlic and salt 5-7 minutes until the leeks are soft and tender.

Add nutmeg and rosemary, then saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Add rosemary, bay leaves, celery, potatoes and vegetable stock.  Bring everything to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Remove pot from heat and discard the rosemary and bay leaves.  Stir in milk and 1 cup chestnuts.

Doing it in small batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth.

Add the remaining chestnuts and the flaked tilapia, then season with salt and pepper.  Heat lightly and garnish with parsley or green onion then serve.

NOTES

When you chop the leeks, you can use the white part and the tender part of the greens which is all but the super fibrous ends of the greens.

By tying the rosemary sprigs together, they are easy to fish out of the soup and less likely to break off as much in the soup.

For potatoes, you can use pretty much whatever you have on hand.  I used russet because they cook up really well and have a nice mealy texture.  You can use red potatoes if you want a creamier texture.

The original recipe called for half-n-half, but you can use anything you like.  If you want to make it a vegan soup, eliminate the tilapia and use soy or almond milk.

The original recipe I based this on just had chestnuts, the tilapia was an addition requested by the Guinea Pig Mom and it was a really good one, but if you are not a fish fan, you lose nothing by taking it out.