Decadent rich mushroom soup.

mushroom soup with 2 raw button mushrooms and 1 raw swiss brown in the background.

Sometimes one is just in the mood for the rich earthy taste of mushroom soup.

In Sydney selections of mushrooms have improved drastically over the years and I adore getting a nice varied selection of beautiful fresh mushrooms.

This recipe of mine is totally my own invention and I'm calling it decadent because it has some rich and strong ingredients.

Mushroom soup is so unique - so often after the 2nd day of soup,  the craving has well and truly been satisfied.  The beauty is that with the left over mushroom soup, one can use it as a lovely sauce to dribble over other dishes or as a garnish, or even a light drizzle over sandwiches, or use with pasta.

I have a favorite pasta and mushroom sauce recipe that I will share and write / post up today or tomorrow -after I now finish and post this recipe... which is perfect because, like me, you may have more mushroom soup than you know what to do with the next day, and the mushroom with pasta sauce recipe is so good that it really ends up being a few days of delicious mushroomy meals.

Can not stress the importance that the mushrooms are firm and fresh. Soft and older mushrooms will not do and can make you feel ill. With the smaller button mushrooms - they're fresher when the underside is closed off not showing the darker brown ripply insides of the mushroom heads - just as you see in the photo above- they're nice and closed up .. and very firm - so - super fresh.

I Find that parsley is a very perfect marriage of flavours between  the earthy taste of mushrooms and the unique and sharp fresh quality of parsley. 

There are a few other spices I've put in that really go so well in this soup (and sauce), and also some other ingredients you may not have in your pantry - and I do recommend getting the truffle oil and  porcini mushroom powder - these 2 items have strong flavours and only a little is needed at a time -so they last for ages. 

Mushrooms are a great source of B12.

Also, farmers often give their mushrooms a quick burst of UV light - which activates the capability  mushrooms have to create Vitamin D - so this is a perfect soup for winter or if you don't get much sun exposure.

Shiitaki mushrooms are well known for their very strong unique smell and flavour (especially when dried) so be careful using the dried version - it can take over and even ruin a recipe. I never use the dried version - only the fresh.

Shiitaki are also very nutritious and healthy - they're crazy high in copper (which is important for good heart health), and they're very good at fighting off unhealthy organisms and growths in our bodies and also have a good range of B vitamins.

You also get a good hit of Selenium in this mushroom and quite a few other vital nutrients.

If you love mushrooms and mushroom soup, you won't be disappointed in this beautiful special soup.

A selection of mushrooms - N.B. : I wouldn't use black funji in this recipe - 

swiss browns go beautifully but they're not in this photo.

Clockwise from the top left corner- Black fungi, button mushrooms, 

shiitaki, shimeji, enoki (or enokitake) and king brown

Mushroom soup

Use 450 - 500grams (approx. 1 - 1.1 pounds) of various mushrooms (or your favourite mushroom like button or swiss brown). 

I used for this recipe:  3 shiitaki mushrooms,   200g button mushrooms,  200g swiss browns, 1 large king brown mushroom and 40g of shimeji mushrooms. All chopped and sliced in to pieces.

1 small onion sliced

2 cloves garlic sliced

2 - 3 Tbl. light oil

1 tsp. plain paprika

3 black olives chopped into pieces

1/2 tsp. porcini mushroom powder

1 tsp. truffle oil

1 tsp. mushroom soy sauce (or tamari if this is unavailable)

1 heaping tsp. dried parsley flakes

3/4 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp majoram spice

1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

1 1/2 tsp. miso paste

salt and pepper to taste

3 1/2 cups of water (more if thinner soup desired)

fresh parsley finely chopped for garnish

Sauté in the oil all the mushrooms and onion slices.

When  they begin to look nicely browned (but not too dark and over - cooked to get burnt edges) - add garlic and then quickly add paprika. Both of these ingredients burn quickly - but their cooked flavour is brought out best when sautéed in oil. 

After a minute of mixing - add all other ingredients (except for water and fresh parsley garnish). Sometimes at this point I like to turn the heat off  while I now sauté for another few minutes.

Then - add water, turn heat back on and let this simmer for 10 - 20 minutes - mixing every now and then, until it looks and smells nicely cooked.

Now blend - but if you don't have a power blender, wait for cooked mushrooms to cool right down before blending - otherwise you'll end up with mushroom soup exploding out of your blender. 

Blend until very smooth. Only adding more water if a thinner texture is desired.

Taste test to see if more salt or pepper is needed.

*alternative garnish - is dollop of cashew cream mayonnaise (see earlier recipe blog on the 23rd February-Sydney time zone)- with fresh parsley sprinkled all over. But this cashew mayo has quite a strong flavour and will change the taste of this soup and also make it a little creamier.

**If you wish to garnish this meal with roasted and spiced slices of mushrooms (as seen in the photo at the top) - make sure you have at least a few extra mushrooms to slice nicely and roast in oven with oil and spices (I used a little paprika, cracked pepper and salt). I turn them over in the oven to get a nice brown roasted look on both sides  -and when they're finished - leave them sitting on paper towels to absorb the oil and cool before using as garnish. Roast (bake them) while you're making your soup. Ideal if you slice them thick enough so they hold their shape and thin enough so they're still light enough to lie on the soup later without sinking as garnish. Be gentle when handling them after baking as they can be more fragile and break.

Once garnished ~ serve your earthy rich mushroom soup ...  yes - it's decadent, but still so good for you.

Enjoy xo

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Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

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© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)