Butternut Squash and Chestnut Soup with Dried Porcini Mushrooms

We were in England in December and had dinner at Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant in Birmingham.
We are fans of Jamie Oliver.

This is Jamie's recipe.
I've altered it  a bit for the American cook.

Olive Oil -  2 or more TBS.
1 Medium Onion roughly chopped, 1/2 " pieces
2 pounds of Butternut squash cut into 1 1/2" pieces ( I bought a 2 pound package pre cut at Costco) you can use a fresh squash and cube it.
Three - 8" sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, chopped ( I have Rosemary in our garden)
1 C Dried Porcini Mushrooms ( I used a container from Costco)  Soak them in 1 C of boiling water and set aside.
1- 8.11 ounce jar of Chestnuts ( I buy them at Williams Sonoma)
a pinch of Dried Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 C white Rice
4 C of Vegetable Stock ( I use a dried Vegetable Chicken Stock Powder) 4 TBS


Heat Oil in a soup pot and add:
Rosemary
Crumbled Chestnuts
Red Pepper Flakes
Cook 5 minutes

Remove the Mushrooms from the water, save the liquid and add the Mushrooms to the pot
Add :
Onion
Squash
Rice
Stir and cook 10 minutes

Add the Mushroom Liquid ( strain it to remove any grit)
Add the Stock
Bring it to a Boil
Reduce and Simmer for 40 minutes

When the Soup is done you can do several things with it.

1. Leave it rustic ( my choice)
2. Blitz 1/4 of it in a blender and return to the pot
3. Puree all of it in a blender for a creamy version


For the Americans, I have to tell you that as soon as the first step was in the pot, it smelled like a Thanksgiving Dinner in the kitchen.
I love the smell of Rosemary and Onion sauteing in Olive Oil.
I will definitely make this for Thanksgiving.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!