Mushroom Soup

Selecting a variety of mushrooms, fresh and or dry, creates a depth of flavour for this simple mushroom soup.

Make your own vegetable stock, boiling a simple combination of herbs and vegetables in water, a little lemon rind can also be good, adding salt and pepper to your taste. Here the stock is made with the soup.

Adding miso deepens the flavour and adds the nutritional qualities of this fermented food.

Ingredients

Preparation: 10 mins Cooking: 40 mins Serves: 2

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, diced

300 gm (10 oz) mushrooms, sliced*

20 gm (small bunch) parsley

4 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stick, sliced

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1/4 tsp salt (to taste)

1 tsp miso (optional)

chives (optional garnish)

Method

HEAT oil in a saucepan to a medium temperature.

ADD the onion and garlic and sauté until soft but not browned.

INCREASE the heat and add the mushrooms, mushroom stalks, carrot and celery.

COOK for approximately 5 minutes. (The temperature should be high enough so the vegetables fry but do not stew in their own liquid.)

ADD parsley, thyme, bay, black pepper and 500 ml (1 pint) water.

BOIL and then lower the temperature and simmer for 30 minutes.

REMOVE the parsley, bay, thyme sprigs and mushroom stalks.

PUREE the soup.

ADD salt if required, miso (optional) and, finally, chives to garnish.

Serve

- A tasty starter or a light meal with accompaniments, eg crusty bread and cheese, crisp salad with nuts.

Notes

* Dried mushrooms can be added. Soaked in hot water for 15 minutes before slicing and adding to the stock and other ingredients to cook.