Soup has been on our menu quite often this winter. Personally, I adore soup, so much so, we’ve coined the expression “I love soup so much, it could be my middle name”! My favourite are brothie soups like chicken noodle, Phõ, lemongrass, and miso to name a few, but JT prefers creamy soups so I throw him a bone every so often and blitz the soup with my immersion blender. This one turned out exceptionally well so, I decided to repost. Plus the light is getting much better and I couldn’t resist.
Creamy Mushroom Soup
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Makes about 500 mL
Ingredients:
- 25 g variety of dried wild mushrooms
- 35 g red lentils, dried
- 140 g shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 90 g sweet onion, roughly chopped
- 60 g celery, roughly chopped (about 1 rib)
- 25 g butter
- 40 g roasted garlic (about 5 large cloves)
- salt and pepper to taste
- ~300 mL vegetable stock
- 2-4 tbsp finishing olive oil
Directions:
- Soak the dried, wild mushrooms in about 500 mL water for a minimum of 30 minutes. Strain through a gold coffee filter and reserve liquid. Rinse the mushrooms.
- Caramelize the onions in the butter. Add the celery, roasted garlic and rehydrated mushrooms and cook until soft, about 15 minutes.
- Add the reserved mushroom liquid and lentils and simmer loosely covered for an additional 30 minutes, stirring often. Meanwhile, toss the sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms in some olive oil and roast in a hot oven (375° F) until caramelized (roughly 20-25 minutes), turning once.
- Remove soup from heat and purée with an immersion blender until smooth, adding vegetable stock to desired consistency (I added about 300 mL). Press through a fine sieve for a velvety, smooth texture. Add salt and pepper to taste and purée once more. Garnish with the caramelized mushrooms and drizzle with the finishing olive oil. Serve piping hot with Cheddar Orange Scones.
Notes:
- No matter how well your blender purées creamed soups, push it through a fine sieve for a creamy and velvety texture. Then blitz it again just before serving. This is a tip from the 1-star Michelin chef we had a cooking lesson with in Lyon.
- Thick creamy soups that are not made with cream, like this one, deserve a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Serve with a scone to make a hearty lunch.
Beautiful again, Eva! I love the way you’ve photographed the mushrooms!
I rarely prepare creamy soups because somehow in my mind they’re starters (just like you I’m a fan of big bowls of comforting main course noodle soups!) and I don’t make two-course dinners on a daily basis, but every time I see a gorgeous creamy soup on a friend’s blog I promise myself I’ll make this kind of soups more often.
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Thank you for your lovely words, Sissy. I don’t generally prepare multiple courses for our dinners, usually only when we have company over for dinner. I love hearty, filling soups like this one, perfect for the cold, snowy weather we have been having.
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Your mushroom soup looks fantastic Eva (love how you’ve decorated it too). So clever to use the lentils to create that delightful creamy texture and convert this bowl into a meal. Beautiful work. ps: your drizzle of oil is most welcome ;o)
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Thank you for your kind words Kelly, this is definitely hearty enough to be a meal, it is much more filling than it looks. And I love using the lentils because they aren’t rich like cream so they don’t weigh you down like a real cream soup would.
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I would be all over this. yup
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Thank Dana.
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This looks fabulous!! Wonder if Bill would try it if I didn’t mention the mushrooms??? No worries as I could easily eat it all myself!!!
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Thanks for your comment, Liz. It reminds me of the time we had our neighbours over for dinner and I always ask if there are any likes/dislikes or allergies and I got, oh we eat everything; so I may mushroom soup and my neighbour hates mushrooms! And eggs, and the list goes on…
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What a gorgeous color, and I love the oil garnish. I’m wondering if this would be a good opportunity to use something like walnut oil?
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Walnut oil sounds like an excellent garnish for this soup, in fact, any of the nut oils would add a depth of flavour that would be excellent. Thanks for the recommendation and the comment.
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Soup is my middle name too! I think all cooks feel the same way. GREG
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It’s one of the simple ways to be creative, isn’t it? The weather here isn’t warming up so soup is quite enjoyable.
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I like the use of lentils in this soup! Great way to add depth of flavor and texture. This does indeed look creamy, and without cream — so healthy! This looks excellent. But soup could be my middle name, too. 🙂
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I knew there was something about you, we soup lovers are special. Fortunately my JT eats whatever is put in front of him, even if it’s soup, which he likes but not loves!
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Oh you like the healthy soups! I like any sort. Really, soups are the best 😀 This looks wonderful!
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I do love healthy soups, but I just can ‘t eat cream like others, it’s just too rich for my taste.
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Looks really beautiful and hearty. I think Kevin might love soup as much as you do! Plus, we love mushrooms, so this one is sure to be a hit!
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It must be a European thing, my Aunt in Budapest never served a meal without soup! I just find it so comforting but I cannot eat soup and a main, usually the soup fills me up too much.
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Thick and creamy…it reminds me of my favourite chestnut soup 🙂
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Thank you Angie, it is truly a lovely soup without being decadent.
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