Mushrooms have some serious health benefits but they are also one of my favourite ingredients to cook with.
This beautiful mushroom soup is a combination of white mushrooms, shiitake and meaty mini portobellos.
Blended cashews add creaminess without the need for dairy.
The soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days and freezes well, making it ideal for batch cooking.
Ingredients:
150g cashews
1 small onion, peeled & roughly chopped
350g of mushrooms (I used equal quantities of organic white mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms), roughly sliced
Rapeseed oil for cooking
1 clove of garlic, roughly sliced
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
sea salt and black pepper to season
500ml veg stock
For the miso portobellos:
6 mini or 3 large portobello mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 teaspoon of miso
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
Method:
Pop the cashews in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak until you cook the soup. This will soften the cashews slightly, making them easier to blend.
Heat a pan on a medium heat. Add a splash of rapeseed oil and cook the onion with the lid on for 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme leaves, bay leaf, a couple of pinches of sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, stir it well and continue cooking with the lid on for a couple more minutes.
Pour in the vegetable stock, add a bit more black pepper and cook for 15 minutes on a low heat with the lid on. Set aside to cool slightly and remove the bay leaf.
Drain the water from the cashews and transfer the cashews into a blender. Season with a pinch of sea salt and a small amount of black pepper.
Pour in the soup and blend until completely smooth. Check the seasoning and adjust it by adding more salt & pepper if required.
To make the miso portobellos, heat the oil in a small frying pan on a high heat. Throw in the sliced portobellos and cook for a couple of minutes until the slices start to colour on the outside. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the miso. Keep stirring until the miso has combined well (around 1-2 minutes).
To serve, ladle the creamy mushroom soup into bowls and top with the miso portobellos.