 Substitute golden sherry for the marsala.I first had this soup at Lidia Bastinach’s fabulous Felidia restaurant in New York, and the creamy, earthy chestnuts laced with a bit of heady Marsala is a wonderful base for the bits of sausage.
Makes 4 to 6 servings | Prep time: 20 minutes | Minimum cook time: 21/2 hours in a medium slow cooker
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6 cups Chicken Stock or purchased stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
1 (15-ounce) jar cooked chestnuts, chopped
1/3 cup sweet Marsala
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Heat butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Scrape mixture into the slow cooker.
2. Add stock, parsley, rosemary, bay leaf, chestnuts, and Marsala to the slow cooker, and stir well. Cook on Low for 41/2 to 6 hours or on High for 2 to 3 hours, or until vegetables are tender. Then, if cooking on Low, raise the heat to High. Add cream, and cook soup for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until simmering.
3. While soup simmers, heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking up lumps with a fork, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until browned. Set aside.
4. Allow soup to cool for 10 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Either puree it with an immersion blender, or strain solids from soup and puree them in a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot, garnishing each serving with sausage.
Note: The soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat it, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Variation:
 Substitute golden sherry for the marsala.