Creamy Mushroom Soup

“Creamy Mushroom Soup”, page 177, is a mushroom lover’s delight. The dark brown broth is rich, delicious, and deeply satisfying. Most of the soup is puréed, including a large portion of sautéed mushrooms, which gives the soup an earthy and elemental flavor. Besides mushrooms there is onion, celery, garlic, and potato (which helps thicken the soup), with a pinch of thyme and soy sauce added for additional flavor. A portion of the mushrooms are sautéed and added to the puréed soup, and a parsley garnish to each bowl adds a bit of color.

I used sherry to sauté the veggies instead of oil, which I thought added a nice flavor to the soup, but water or broth would also work equally well as a substitute. I also added some re-hydrated dried mushrooms to the puréed soup for a bit more flavor and substance, and I used the mushroom soaking water for a portion of the broth, further enhancing the rich mushroom taste of the soup. The recipe calls for a cup of soy milk, added towards the end, but I found ½ cup to be enough, and kept the soup thick and creamy. I also added a pinch of cayenne to spice it up just a little.

This is a nice light soup that would make a great starter to a meal, or combined with a hearty salad and bread for a soup-salad-bread meal – one of my favorite combos!

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Instead of using oil to sauté the vegetables, use a nonstick skillet with a small amount of water, broth, or sherry.