Earthy Soup
When it comes to a rustic soup I believe you cannot beat a simple mushroom soup. Deliciously dark, rich and full of earthy goodness. I like to keep the recipe predominantly mushroom but do like to add a swirl of cream at the end, and if you are brave a touch of fiery chilli sauce Semtex .
I also like to mix the mushrooms for a really deep mushroom taste – simplicity in a bowl and so delicious.
4
15 minutes
20 - 30 minutes
Stove top cooking
Ingredients
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450g mushrooms- field, portobello, button or chestnut cut into chunks
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1 lemon- juice only
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85g unsalted butter
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Pinch of ginger powder
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1 red onion- skin removed, finely chopped
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1 garlic clove- skin removed, finely chopped
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1 tbsp plain flour
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900ml cold water- or chicken stock
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Garnish:
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Single cream
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chilli oil- optional
Instructions
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Prepare the mushrooms:
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01 Wash and clean and when using field mushrooms peel the outer skin. Chop into even sized chunks. Juice the lemon and sprinkle over all the mushrooms. Leave to sit a couple of minutes.
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Cook the soup:
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02 In a fairly large saucepan, melt half the butter with the chopped onion with the garlic. Cook until soft and a pale golden colour.
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03 Now add all the mushrooms with the lemon juice, add a touch of ground ginger and cook until their juices have almost evaporated in the pan. Stirring now and again.
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04 Add the last knob of butter, melt and then add 1 tbsp of flour. Mix well and gradually add the water or stock. Stir well until smooth. Correct the seasoning.
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05 Bring soup to a slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so or until the mushrooms are soft and tender.
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06 Remove from the heat and liquidise and check the seasoning again.
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07 Serve in hot bowls with swirls of cream and perhaps a few drops of chilli oil.
Notes
I used a mixture of mushrooms for this soup as I love the earthiness of field mushrooms. Mix them about but keep to the weight of450g give or take a few grams. It is possible to add cream to the whole soup and 'whizz' in a blender but again, I prefer the richness of mushroom with just a touch of cream.
