Mushroom Medley, Garnet Yam and Swiss Chard Soup
The winter months bring an abundance of mushrooms. The health benefits of mushrooms are no longer a secret. The supplement aisle in your natural food market is robust with medicinal mushrooms for the immune system, the brain and beyond. Culinary mushrooms are also vast in variety from the aromatic shiitake to the earthy cremini, and mushrooms, no doubt are one of my favorite foods, ever. This warming and cozy soup uses a variety of mixed mushrooms, I have given you a small list below in the gather section but you can choose your own blend. In the soup in the photograph I used King Oyster Mushrooms, Cremini, and Shiitake and the soup turned out great. The garnet yam adds a little sweetness and the Swiss chard adds a mild touch of bitterness and some color to break up the brown hue of the mushrooms. Mushrooms are a great low-calorie source of fiber, protein and antioxidants, and also high in some B vitamins, and are said to potentially mitigate some cancers, heart disease and diabetes. You can do more research on this. I also made a walnut citrus chermoula (topping) that you can swirl into the individual bowls of soup and garnish with chopped thyme and parsley or edible flowers.
Gather
12 ounces/ 340 grams mixed mushrooms, such as shiitake, baby bella, chanterelles, cremini, wiped with a wet damp paper towel
3 tablespoons / 42.52 g vegan butter
1 shallot, minced
1 medium yellow or white onion, minced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/3 cup / 79 ml sherry or dry white one (optional)
5 cups / 1.18 l vegetable stock (see recipe in archives)
1 small garnet yam or sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1/2 cup)
4 leaves Swiss chard, leaves only and chopped into fine ribbons
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.42 g ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped chives or parsley for garnish
Make
Put 2 and 1/2 cups of the mushrooms in a for processor and pulse until a paste forms, about 2 minutes.
Slice the remaining mushrooms into bite size pieces.
Melt the vegan butter in a medium or large pot over medium heat and add the shallot, onion and celery. Stir the vegetables until the shallots and onions are translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the sliced mushroom and cook 5 more minutes. Add the sherry if using and then the mushroom paste and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the stock and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potato cubes and simmer for 5 more minutes. Stir in the chopped Swiss chard until wilted, about 5 minutes.
Season with the nutmeg, alt and pepper.
Serve in individual bowls, garnished with chives.
Walnut Citrus Chermoula
Gather
1/4 cup / 32 g chopped raw walnuts
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons freshly chopped thyme
2 teaspoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Make
Place all ingredients into the bowl of a small food processor and process until smooth.
Swirl a spoonful into each individual bowl of soup.
Developed by Anna Getty
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