roasted mushroom soup

Mushrooms are the ultimate earthy ingredient. I’m not sure I could think of a vegetable that I associate more with the land. They also have the wonderful tendency to soak up all the flavours they are combined with, so that the result is juicy and mouthwatering.

I have had many a wonderful mushroom soup in my day, but I don’t make it at home often. No particular reason, really, it’s just that there’s always something else to make. But last night was different. Over the weekend we stocked up on piles and piles of chestnut mushrooms from East Anglia and, given the recent weather and the reports that we are due for more chill and shower, earthy mushroom soup seemed perfect.

I decided to roast them without their stems with garlic and olive oil to really pull the flavour out. The stems were finely chopped, along with shallot, spring onion and celery for the base of the soup.

Roasted mushroom and garlic soup
(serves 3)
500 g chestnut mushrooms, stems removed and chopped, heads kept whole
2 medium stalks celery, finely chopped
4 shallots, finely chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1.5 litre water + 1 tbsp Swiss Marigold vegetable bouillon powder
1 bay leaf
1 bouquet garni
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp reduced-fat fresh cream
Fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Combine the mushroom heads, garlic and 1 tbsp of the olive oil and season with black pepper in a roasting tin lined with foil.. Allow to roast in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the other vegetables. Allow the oil to heat in a large pot, and once heated, add the mushroom stems, celery, shallot and spring onion, stirring to allow it all to coat with oil. Sautee for up to 10 minutes on a medium heat.

Slowly, add the stock, bay leaf and bouquet garni. Allow the soup to come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes.

By now, the mushrooms in the olive will be soft and dark with many juices. Remove the tin from the oven, and pour the mushrooms, juices and all, into the pot, reserving 3 of the mushrooms. Allow the soup to return to a boil and then reduce to a simmer again for another 5minutes. Season to taste.

Remove from heat and extract the bouquet garni and the bay leaf. Use a hand blender to puree the soup. Add the cream and stir through, and put the pot back on a low heat to keep warm.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with chives, black pepper, and one of the sliced roasted mushrooms.

Calories per serving: 150.

(Obviously, this soup isn’t quite enough for a dinner meal. I served it with a salad of greens, shredded beetroot, sliced plum tomatoes, reduced-fat mature cheese – which complemented the beetroot marvellously – and lemon juice. I also had a slice of wholemeal bread for mopping up the juices.

My husband also had the salad and three pieces of bread.

With soups, I always try to make at least three reasonably generous servings, in case a) whomever you are serving is still hungry or wants seconds or b) the soup would make an excellent lunchtime meal the following day.

The other trick is to keep the use of cream to a minimum, allowing just enough to make the soup that bit richer, but not so much that the calories would suffer. I did garnish my husband’s bowl with a bit of extra cream, which is a great last-minute way to bulk up the soup for someone else without adding much work.