Mushroom Walnut Soup
As I slowly step foot into the word of foraging, I’m enjoying coming up with recipes that are inspired by what I can find out in the forests and fields. Now, full disclosure, I did not forage mushrooms for this recipe as I am not anywhere close to confidently foraging shrooms. If you are one of those individuals who can stroll out of a forest with a basket full of shrooms then I’m sure they will make this soup taste even more delicious!
However, I have become familiar with collecting walnuts. Especially here in South West Europe where there is an abundance of walnut trees. The nuts themselves are very easy to harvest as you simply collect the nuts off the ground straight underneath the tree. You just have to get them before they start to decay or get taken by another forest dweller.
I decided to also pick some wood sorrel to serve with this soup. Not just because it looks super pretty, wood sorrel also has a lovely zingy, citrusy crunch that cuts through the richness of this thick hearty soup. So if you know your wood sorrel from your clove, I highly recommend picking some to have with this soup.
MUSHROOM WALNUT SOUP with herby garlic croutons
serves 4 • 25 minutes
for the croutons:
250g / ~ 4 cups stale bread, cut into chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves, keep whole
2 tsp dried oregano
few sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stalks
¼ tsp salt
optional additional toppings:
radish sprouts, chopped walnuts, wood sorrel
300g / 10oz mixed mushroom (ie. chestnut, shitake, oyster)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-size leek, washed & roughly sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, from croutons
⅓ cup dry white wine (optional)
50g / ½ cup toasted walnuts
1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tbsp white miso
15g / ½ oz dried mushroom
Preheat the oven to 200℃/392℉.
Toss the chunks of bread with oil, salt, garlic cloves and herbs before laying them out on a baking tray, including the garlic cloves. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown, giving them a shake halfway through.
Add the dried mushrooms to 750ml / 3 cups of boiled water and set aside.
Place a saucepan over a medium heat. Add in the oil and chopped leeks to saute and soften for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning.
Roughly chop the mushrooms and add them to the leeks. Let the mushrooms release some water and sweat for a couple of minutes. Then add in the white wine (if using), tamari and miso paste. Stir everything together and let it cook and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Finally, add in the walnuts, a few cloves of roasted garlic from the croutons and the mushroom stock; including the pieces of rehydrated mushroom.
Transfer the soup mix to a high-speed blender or use a hand blender to blitz until smooth. I like this soup really smooth but you may want to keep some texture; chef’s choice!
Finally, season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with a handful of croutons and any other toppings.