Make your pantry and freezer work and create a delicious, easy and warming soup. Fully vegan and can be made fully gluten free.
Main ingredient: Mushrooms.
What kind of mushrooms?
Despite the availability of different mushrooms, you can make this soup using all white champignon ( button mushrooms) and it will be just as delicious.
Another option frozen mushrooms. I prefer Trader Joe’s Frozen Mushroom Medley, it is lightly seasoned and the mushrooms aren’t soggy, squeaky or have retained too much water. They don’t always have it available, so definitely grab a few bags to shove in the freezer.
Dried Mushrooms are available year round and are available as a single variety or blend. Many Asian supermarkets will have a nice selection of dried mushrooms. Dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped finely, would be the best option in here.
Another great pantry stock up item, which lasts for a good while but does take a good portion of the grocery budget is this GIANT Dried Mushroom Mix. Split it with a friend, your MIL or neighbor. Its a great pantry investment for soups, stews, stuffings and sauces. Especially wonderful for adding flavor to vegetarian dishes that sometimes can read a little bland.
Dried Mushroom Powder:
What is dried mushroom powder? Dried mushroom are pulverized into a powder and can be sprinkles onto food like an extra seasoning. All the mushroom flavor without a single mushroom in sight. Can you use dried mushroom powder in soup? You should! How much? Depends on your seasoning. Some have added salt and some are a blend of mushrooms. It would depend on your preference and what other ingredients are in the recipe. start with a teaspoon and take it from there.
How to use dried mushrooms?
General rule is that a fistful of dried mushrooms (or if you want to be extra precise: a well packed rounded 1/3 cup dried mushroom or 85grams) reconstituted in water will be the equivalent to an 8 ounce container of fresh.
Replacing fresh mushrooms with all dried in something like this soup would be too overwhelming and ultimately not very delicious. For a 2 quarts of soup, 8ounces chopped mushroom and loosely filled 1/4 cup measure would be a great balance. Have less than that? It works too, use less water.
Prepping Dried Mushrooms:
To use, add mushrooms into a heat safe container, like a tea or coffee mug and cover with boiling water. Cover with a small saucer or plate and set aside for 15 minutes.
Slowly strain mushrooms and water through a sieve, taking care to leave sediment and sand behind in the cup. There will be some floating around in the liquid at the bottom of the mug, discard it. Keep the mushrooms and the clean liquid for cooking.
The flavor comes from how the soup is cooked. Sometimes soup is bland because it’s just boiled with seasonings thrown on top. There are a handful of soups that do well with a simple boil but this is not one of them.
Dried Bay Leaf
Bay leaf adds a meaty flavor without actual meat.
Bay leaf smooths out the acidity of tomatoes.
Bay leaf has a woody deep flavor similar to mushrooms and helps amplify their flavor.
Some folks will insist bay leaves are useless. I am not them. I love them.
Bay leaves are also good at repelling pests and I keep a few leaves in my flour, grains and pantry.
Bay leaves are great a repelling the otherworldly or inviting welcome energies into your life.
But it’s your life and your soup. You do you.
Grandma’s Forest Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
1 medium carrot grated
1 small onion chopped
8 ounces Cremini Mushrooms or White Button Mushrooms
1/4 cup dried mushroom
1 large or 2 medium russet potatoes cubed
1/4 cup dried barley
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 rib celery, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
4 bushy sprigs dill finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
3 sprigs parsley finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes ( optional)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
2 quarts water or vegetable stock + more if needed to thin out soup
Method:
Heat in a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium low heat.
Add in chopped fresh mushrooms. Do not salt. Allow mushroom to release their moisture first. When the pan begins to make a “clacking” noise, check for oil and season mushrooms.
Once the mushrooms have decreased in size and most of their liquid has disappeared add in chopped onion, celery and carrots and cook until onion is translucent and the edges are browning.
At this stage, add in garlic, bay leaves and red pepper flakes; toast along with the tomato paste for 1-2 minutes.
Do not allow the garlic to brown.
Combine the reconstituted, finely chopped mushrooms with their liquid and cover with stock or water the ingredients in the soup pot.
Taste for salt.
Cover partially with lid and set to simmer for 15minutes.
Increase the heat after 15 minutes to a boil. Stir the soup and float in dried barley.
Barely should be soaked ahead of time.
Overnight option:
Soak barley with double the amount of water in refrigerator overnight. Strain off water before using. (You can water your plants with it!)
Quick soak:
Add barley to heat safe container and cover with double the amount of boiling water. Allow to stand on the counter for an hour. Strain off water before using.
Set heat back to simmer and cover partially with lid.
Check soup for enough liquid and seasoning after 25 minutes of cooking. Add in potatoes
Add water as needed to keep soup dense but loose enough to be enjoyed as a soup.
Barley will continue to thicken the soup as it cooks. You may have to adjust seasoning and water as you go.
Taste barely at 40 minute mark. It should be soft with a little resistance.
Lastly add in all the fresh herbs, mix and serve with optional sour cream.
The Wonky Stove 