Hearty Mushroom Soup

I know, I know. Mushrooms again. You're probably sick of seeing them and definitely sick of hearing me go on and on about how much I love them. And I was fully intending to not do another mushroom related post for a few weeks. But this is what happens when you have a bunch of mushrooms having out in your refrigerator, left over from other recipes, and you don't want to throw them away.

I was looking at different food blogs and ran across "The Jew and a Carrot." They had a fantastic little mushroom soup recipe that sounded so good, I immediately printed it out to try it.

I've made quite a few variations to it and I think it's quite tasty. I wanted just a subtle hint of spice to it, so I added just a touch of some classic Indian flavors. I also wanted to make it more of a creamy soup, yet without adding any cream, so I ran my stick blender in it for a few seconds. All in all, I think this a great soup that any mushroom lover is bound to enjoy. (As an aside, even my non-mushroom loving roommate found this soup to be tasty)



Hearty Mushroom Soup

3 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 1/2 pounds of assorted mushrooms, chopped (I used a combination of baby bellas, oyster, and white button)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 quart of vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Saute shallots and garlic for 30 seconds. Add coriander, cumin, and mustard seeds and saute for an additional 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, salt to taste, cover with lid, and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mushrooms should be semi-tender. Add Worcestershire, vegetable stock, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 25 minutes. Process two-thirds of the soup in a blender or pulse for a few minutes with the immersion blender. Add fresh parsley, stir well, and serve.

To make parmesan crisps, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Place tablespoons of freshly shredded parmesan cheese on sheet and press down. Sprinkle with freshly-cracked peppercorns, toasted cumin seed, or other spice blends. Bake 5-10 minutes until crispy. Cool.