seasonal soup

Cream of Chestnut Mushroom and Rice Soup (plant-based)

Catherine Lawson

There’s something glorious about the first pot of soup we make when the trees start to turn – it’s a culinary rite of passage as we embrace the changing of the seasons. Of all the produce to reach its peak at this time, the humble mushroom is what I associate most closely with this ritual. Rich, earthy and endlessly comforting, they’re the epitome of autumn.

Blending mushrooms into a silky soup is one of life’s simplest but tastiest pleasures and this recipe is the one I return to every year. Though any variety of mushroom would work here, I prefer to use chestnut mushrooms for their deep, savoury flavour; I also add rice for extra substance and cashew nut cream for a decadent, velvety finish. Together, these ingredients deliver a nutritious, delicious bowl of plant-based goodness which is as nourishing as it is satisfying. A bowl of this is like the warmest of welcomes on a cold, windswept day.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1 large celery stick, finely sliced
• 1 medium white potato, diced
• 400g chestnut mushrooms, sliced (keep a couple of large mushrooms aside for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ pints vegetable stock
• 1 cup cashew cream*
• 200g freshly cooked rice (I use a blend of white and wild – keep 1 tablespoon aside for garnish)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

To make the cashew nut cream, soak ½ cup of cashews overnight in 1 cup of cold water. When you’re ready to use them, rinse them thoroughly then blitz them in the blender with ½ cup fresh cold water until the mixture is smooth (add more water if needed). It should have a thick yogurt consistency. Cashew cream will keep covered in the fridge for 48 hours but is best used fresh from the blender.

To make:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large pan/soup pot and add the onion, garlic, celery, mustard, salt, pepper and thyme – sauté over a low-medium heat for 10 minutes until softened
• Add the carrots, potatoes and mushrooms, stirring well – sauté for a further 5 minutes
• Add the stock, cover and simmer on a low heat for 25 minutes until all vegetables are soft
• Blitz the soup in a food blender until it has a rich velvety texture, then return it to a clean pan
• Add the cooked rice (remember to keep 1 tablespoon aside for garnish) and cashew cream – heat through gently
• As the soup heats, gently fry the sliced chestnut mushrooms kept aside for garnish in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil
• Serve topped with a few slices of the pan-fried mushrooms, some parsley and a scattering of the rice kept aside for garnish.