This is another recipe "Gift" from a blog reader from Philly.
This variation is oil-free & vegan, based on version from the Washington Post
My family adored this soup--and the left-overs even worked well as a mushroom gravy on our Thanksgiving "Meat" Loaf.
Roasted Mushroom Soup
Summary
Roasting vegetables is a great way to develop rich flavor without adding a lot of fat. It's also an easy, fairly quick and low-maintenance cooking method.
Here, for example, the mushrooms and onions are tossed only with a little salt and pepper. Then they go right into the oven, needing only to be turned and stirred every 15 minutes or so for about 45 minutes. The vegetables brown beautifully, and the flavors become concentrated.
While the mushrooms cook, heat low-sodium vegetable broth with fresh thyme, infusing the flavor of the herb into the soup. A little sherry adds a traditional flavor element. Half of the mushrooms and onions are added to the broth, and pureed. The other half of the vegetables are reserved and then added back into the pureed soup to provide a little texture.
MAKE AHEAD: The soup can be prepared, cooled and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.
Makes about 6 cups (8 servings)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as button, cremini and oyster, portabello, shiitake (I used), cleaned, stemmed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (Choose 3 different kinds of mushrooms)
- 1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
- Salt to taste, is optional
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 17 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- Water, as needed
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
1. Combine the mushrooms, onions, oil and salt and pepper to taste in a large roasting pan. Optional: Give the vegetables a light spray of high-heat canola spray (Spectrum brand), but it isn't necessary at all.
2. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned.
3. While the vegetables roast, combine the broth and 15 of the thyme sprigs in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat; discard the thyme sprigs. Reserve about 1/2 of the roasted vegetables to add back into the soup after it's pureed.
4. Stir in the sherry and the roasted mushroom-onion mixture; increase the heat to medium and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Puree the soup in a VitaMix until almost smooth, or use an immersion blender stick. If you have neither of these--cool the soup first, & blend it in a regular-style blender. Then, eturn to the saucepan & add back in the reserved half of the vegetables.
If the soup is too thick, stir in a few tablespoons of water to achieve the desired consistency.
Garnish with the leaves from the remaining sprigs of thyme, if desired.
Recipe Source:
From The Washington Post's Nourish columnist Stephanie Witt Sedgwick.
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