Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
1/2 oz (14g) dried porcini mushrooms or other dried mushrooms (optional)*
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, ideally a variety, such as cremini, shiitake, oyster and/or maitake**
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegan butter (or more olive oil)
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine***
Bouquet garni: 1/2 large sprig of rosemary, 2 sprigs of thyme, and 2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) good-quality vegetable broth (4 cups if not using homemade mushroom stock)
1/4 cup (35g) raw cashews
1/2 tablespoon white miso paste (or red miso for a more robust taste)
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari (use tamari for GF)
1/8 teaspoon dijon mustard (optional)
1/2 small handful of fresh chives and/or parsley, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
If using homemade mushroom stock, cover the dried mushrooms with room temperature water. Weight to submerge and soak for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through a sieve, keeping the stock. Wash the rehydrated mushrooms well and slice.
For fresh mushrooms, slice them (e.g., cremini or shiitake) or tear them into pieces with your hands (e.g., oyster or maitake mushrooms).In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the diced onions and cook until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Now add the vegan butter. Once melted, add the sliced/torn mushrooms (and rehydrated mushrooms, if using).
Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrooms are softened.Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits, simmering until the smell of alcohol has dissipated.
Pour in the vegetable broth and homemade mushroom stock (if using; don’t pour in the last tablespoon, as it’s sediment heavy). Add the bundle of herbs and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
Scoop out 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup and transfer it to a stand blender. Add the cashews*, soy sauce, and miso, and blend until the soup is creamy and smooth. Pour this blended soup into the remaining soup in the pot.
Stir well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the flavors have developed and soup has thickened a bit.
Stir the blended soup back into the remaining soup in the pot. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the flavors have developed and the soup has thickened slightly. Season with salt and pepper. If you want a slight pop of acidity, add the Dijon mustard. Remove the bouquet garni.
Ladle soup into serving bowls. Top each with a tiny drizzle of good-quality olive oil, if a little extra richness is desired, and garnish with a small handful of chopped parsley/chives.
NOTES:
*If needed, soak the cashews briefly. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews while you prep everything else. Just add them to a saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 10 minutes. This ensures the cashews get fully pulverized when blended and you don’t end up with cashew bits in your soup.
For fresh mushrooms like cremini and shiitake, slice them (remove shiitake stems). For oyster or maitake mushrooms, tear them into strips with your hands, discarding any tough ends.
ATTRIBUTION: Nisha Vora @ Rainbow Plant Life
WEBSITE: https://rainbowplantlife.com/vegan-mushroom-soup/#recipe
CONTRIBUTED BY: Nan
