Rabbit Soup with Chestnuts

Meat goes well with nuts - you just need to choose the right pair. The ideal companion for a rabbit is, of course, chestnuts. If you manage to buy charcoal-grilled chestnuts (like in Paris), you will save a little time and the soup will acquire a wonderful smoke aroma. And the soup made from raw chestnuts is also very tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 rabbit, approximately 1.2 kg
• a large handful of chestnuts
• 4 celery stalks
• a quarter of a medium celery root
• 1 large carrot
• half a medium white onion
• 1 red chili
• 3 st. l. ghee
• 1 tsp pink peppercorns
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• flour

Directions

1. Make cruciform notches on the chestnuts, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, cook for 15 minutes. Throw in a colander, rinse with cold water and clean.
2. Cut the rabbit into small portions, rub with salt and pepper, let it rest for 15 minutes. Then rub with flour, shake off excess flour. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and quickly fry the rabbit slices over high heat until golden brown. Remove the finished pieces onto a dish.
3. Chop the onion very finely. Cut the celery stalks into thick slices, peel the celery root and carrots and cut into strips (thick and thin, respectively). Place the vegetables in the saucepan where the rabbit was fried and sauté over medium heat until soft, 5-7 minutes.
4. Return the pieces of rabbit to the pot with vegetables, put the chestnuts, cover with 7 cups of water, bring to a boil, not completely cover, cook over low heat until soft, 40-60 minutes.
5. Cut the chili into thin rings and remove the seeds. In 5 min. until tender, add chili and pink peppercorns to the soup, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup hot with country bread and plenty of greens.