Okay, keep in mind my put up remaining weekend about slipping in a hot vegetable dish as my type-of Salad of the Month? And all my accompanying musings approximately what, precisely, makes a salad a salad?
Well, forget all that. Because tonight, as the last few hours of September ticked away, Brian prepared a new soup that is unquestionably a soup, and therefore qualifies to be my Soup of the Month. And it's not only new, it's good.
This recipe passed off, as so a lot of our food appear to, form of out of nowhere. We had some mushrooms in the fridge, and thinking about we'd executed as an alternative a whole lot of pasta-type dishes currently, Brian determined to steer them to right into a soup. And thinking about we had a few leeks out inside the lawn which have been geared up to select, he idea he'd throw those in as nicely. And at the same time as we have been out inside the garden, I passed off to word that we not simplest had a second crop of arugula (which we hadn't definitely planted) springing up inside the lawn beds, but we also had a few growing up through the garden paths. Rather than permit it get trampled, I cautiously stooped and plucked up all the tiny, gentle leaves, and Brian tossed the ones within the soup as nicely. And because of the reality that we had about a quarter of a cup of coconut cream left in a jar inside the fridge that became at the verge of going off, he determined to throw that during as well.
And somehow, out of this makeshift mismatch, came a hearty, flavorful soup, with savory mushrooms basking in a rich brown broth. Some of the credit for the soup's flavor is no doubt due to our favorite vegetable soup base from Penzey's Spices, which kicks the taste knob on any vegetarian soup up at least a notch or two. But some of it is certainly also due to Brian's recent discovery that mushroom soup in general tastes much better if you don't sauté the mushrooms first, as many recipes suggest you do. Throw them in the pot in their natural state, and all their juices will end up in the soup itself, rather than trickling round the edges of the saucepan.
So proper here is the recipe in complete. It's a Recipe of the Month that I can wholeheartedly advise on every level?Now not in reality because it technically meets my standards, however because it's actually precise enough to endorse to any fan of fungus.
BRIAN'S IMPROVISED MUSHROOM-LEEK POTAGE
- Clean, dice, and sauté 2 small leeks in 2 Tbsp. olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add 3 cups vegetable broth (in this case, 1 1/2 tsp. Penzey's Vegetable Soup Base in 3 cups water). Bring to a boil.
- Add 1 lb. sliced mushrooms, a small handful chopped arugula, 2 squashed garlic cloves, and 1/2 tsp. dried thyme. Simmer on low heat about 20 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup coconut cream, 1 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch suspended in 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Heat until thickened slightly and serve (preferably with biscuits made from half white, half whole-wheat flour).
