Creamy Roasted Mushroom Soup

Dairy Free

Serves 6

You can make a great mushroom soup by simply sautéing the mushrooms in a bit of butter or oil, but roasting them takes the flavor profile to a whole newThis is a dairy free version of my creamy roasted mushroom soup with cream and butter. It’s wonderful, but what can you do when, for one reason or another, you need a soup that’s dairy-free? The answer is cashews. The cashews thicken the soup, so there’s no need for a flour and butter roux, and when cooked and puréed with the soup, the cashews make it creamy as well as thickened. They also add protein and a hint of that delicious cashew flavor. If you’re unable to use nuts, a small potato, peeled and diced, will add thickness, but it won’t give it that creamy texture. The dried morels are optional, but they turn a fabulous soup into something truly sublime, for those very special occasions.

 Ingredients:

• 1 pound Portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, caps cut into ½ inch pieces.

• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into ½ inch pieces

• ¼ cup walnut oil or olive oil

• 4 cups chicken or chicken-less stock

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• ¼ cup Madeira, plus a little more if you’re using the morel garnish

• ½ ounce mixed dried mushrooms

• ¾ teaspoon herbs de Provence

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Optional: a swirl of truffle oil

• Optional garnish: 18 small dried morel mushrooms (3 per bowl. Or use less)

• Garnish: snipped chives or thinly sliced scallions

Method:

• Put the mixed dried mushrooms into a small bowl and pour over the Madeira to cover. Set them aside to soak for at least 30 minutes. Then simmer them for a few minutes until the liquid is reduced by half.

• If you’re using the dried morels, put them into a small saucepan and add additional Madeira, just enough to cover them. Let them soak 15 minutes, then bring the pot to boil and simmer until the morels are tender.

• Preheat the oven to 400°.

• Prepare a baking sheet with a rim by covering it with parchment.

• Drizzle the fresh mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper.  Cover the pan with foil. 

• Roast the mushrooms for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and roast them for 15 minutes longer until done, but still moist.

• While mushrooms are roasting, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or small stock pot. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

• Add the roasted mushrooms and the assorted dried mushrooms with their soaking liquid.

• Add the stock, the cashews, and the herbs de Provence and simmer the soup, covered, for 20 minutes.

• Purée the soup with an immersion blender, or transfer it to a food processor and process until smooth, then return the soup to the pot

• If you’ve used the morels, add their soaking liquid to the soup now.

• Reheat the soup and taste for salt and pepper. If it’s too thick, add a bit of water.

• Portion the soup into bowls and top each one with a swirl of truffle oil (optional), 3 morels (optional) and the chives or scallions.