The recent weather has been more Autumnal than late Summer and I have been feeling the need for warming soups.
I love a good mushroom soup and mushroom abundance is associated with Autumn, especially in the wild.
(Despite the fact that they share a common name, supermarket chestnut mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are not the same as species as wild chestnut mushrooms (Pholiota adiposa).)
Much scientific research has confirmed that phyto-chemicals isolated from Agaricus Bisporus shows a lot of medicinal promise. One of these, Ergothionine or ERG, is an amino acid with potent anti-oxidant activities. The high ERG content of mushrooms has been shown to have very substantial effects on cognitive function, cardiovascular disease, cancers and other chronic inflammatory diseases.
Mushrooms are also an invaluable source of nutrients needed for bone health, especially copper and zinc, selenium and Vitamin D2.
Mushroom and Tahini soup
You will need:
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
50 g butter
500g chopped chestnut mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 medium leek, finely sliced
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1.5 L veg/chicken stock
2-3 tablespoons of tahini
5 tablespoons double cream
OMIT the butter and cream and use veg stock to make vegan.
To finish:
I used some lightly pan fried garlic and chopped parsley and a drizzle of cream, but you could use more thyme/chopped pistachio/fried mushrooms.
Method:
Heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan.
Sauté the mushrooms, garlic, thyme and other veg until softish, and add the stock.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Remove the thyme sprigs and blend until smooth. Add the tahini and cream, if using, and blend again.
Warm through before serving if needed and garnish as you wish.
Serves 4/6
Recipe Credit: The Diabetes Weight-loss Cookbook, Katie and GianCarlo Caldesi.