Creamy Mushroom Soup

It's that time of year when the temperature starts to drop, and even LA starts to see a few days of rain here and there.  Today was one of those days. It was one of those lazy on the couch with a hot cup of tea and a nice warm bowl of soup.  Of course anyone who has ever read this blog knows that I don't need it to be cold and rainy out to enjoy a bowl of soup. :)

One of my favorite, most comforting soups to prepare is a Creamy Mushroom soup that I learned to make at Bauman College. The surprising thing about this soup is that the base of it is cauliflower, one of my very least favorite vegetables, but you really can't tell. I've prepared this soup during cooking demos to rave reviews and it is something that I often put on menus for dinners I cater and client proposals. It's just so good! The best part, in my opinion, is the crispy shiitake garnish. Don't skimp on that!

Here's the recipe:

Creamy Mushroom Soup with Shiitake Garnish

Ingredients

2 T olive oil

1 C diced onion

½ tsp sea salt

2 T minced garlic

3 C button or cremini mushrooms, diced

4 C chopped cauliflower

4 ½ C vegetable stock, or water

2 tsp umeboshi vinegar, or to taste (optional)

splash of lemon juice

3 C shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 T olive oil

¼ tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add onion and sea salt, sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the button mushrooms and stir until coated with oil. Add cauliflower and stock or water, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

2. While the soup cooks, prepare the shiitake mushroom garnish. Toss shiitakes with oil and salt. Spread on parchment lined baking sheet in single layer and roast for 25 minutes, or until crisp.  Check occasionally to see if they need turning. 

3. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until very smooth and creamy. Add more stock or water if necessary, for desired consistency. Return to pot and place over medium heat. Add umeboshi vinegar, if using, and simmer 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

4. Just before serving, garnish soup with a small mound of roasted mushrooms.

Recipe adapted from Angelica’s Kitchen, NYC.