Vegetable-mushroom soup

I made a version of this soup last month when I was with my family in Seattle, to go with the herby cheese pull-apart bread that was our first baking challenge set by Aparna Balasubramaniam. The soup is not exactly as I made it the first time, because mixed vegetable soup can be whatever you make of it. 


If you're a wannabe Masterchef contestant or judge, or have more money than sense, you can use expensively exotic ingredients - mushrooms that have been grown in soil imported from a remote corner of the Brazilian rain forest and watered with dew gathered in moonlight on a full moon night in June; the rarest blue-spotted heirloom potatoes from Venezuela that have been hand picked by an endangered tribe (gotta support them, don't y'know); cream from milk where the cattle were exclusively hand fed on the finest grass prepared by Cordon Bleu chefs while classical music was played by the London Philharmonic live in their air-conditioned, state-of-the-art barn (the cows' barn, I mean, not the London Philharmonic's. The London Philharmonic wouldn't be allowed to live in the same building as these super-exclusive posh cows!)... you get the idea.

OR, you could just use whatever vegetables you have in your refrigerator that need using up, and standard chestnut or white mushrooms (or whatever you can get), to make this soup. It's a guide more than a recipe, anyway.

That said, though, I bought the mushrooms specifically to make this soup. But because I have more sense than I have money, I bought them from the "reduced for quick sale" section. Yay me! 

Recipe for: Vegetable-mushroom soup

Ingredients:

4 small onions, sliced thinly
2 baby leeks (green and white parts), sliced thinly
4 cups mixed mushrooms (I used portobello/cremini, shiitake and oyster), sliced
1 medium potato, chopped (skin on)
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 litre (4-5 cups) vegetable stock/broth
1 tsp dried thyme or Italian herb mix
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sour cream/Greek yogurt or full fat milk (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp parsley for garnish

Method:

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan, add the onions and leeks and cook over medium heat till they begin to soften (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.

2. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes or till they start to reduce.

3. Add the potatoes and carrots along with the dried herbs and bay leaf. Stir for a couple of minutes.

4. Then add the stock and the fresh thyme sprigs.

Bring this to a boil, cover the pan and let the stock simmer for 10-15 minutes or till the carrots and potatoes are soft and cooked.

5. Fish out the fresh thyme sprigs and bay leaf, then turn off the heat. Let the soup cool, then blend it to a smooth consistency.

If you would like a bit more texture to the soup, blend only about 3/4 of the soup smooth, then add it to the remaining unblended soup in the pan. Add the milk or sour cream/yogurt, if using, and stir it in. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat on low heat till thoroughly warmed, but do not let it boil. Serve with parsley sprinkled on top, and croutons if you like, and crunchy buttered toast on the side. 

Mushroom peas yogurt curry

(Caution to my squeamish readers: Disgusting imagery alert! Read from Para 4 if you have a weak stomach.)
Although I quite like mushrooms, I’m not really crazy about them – I think it’s to do with their texture. I love mushroom soup, because it has the flavour without the texture. I absolutely cannot stand mushrooms in a cold curry because to me they taste like floppy rubber bands, and look like something that died but inexplicably didn’t get a decent burial.
Hm. After that appetizing description, I have no doubt that non-mushroom eaters will be rushing en masse to try the delights of cold cooked mushrooms for themselves. Oh well… I figure that people who dislike mushrooms will continue to dislike them (and perhaps agree with me) and those who love ‘em will continue to love ‘em no matter what I say. (It’s what I call a win-win situation for my writing skills.)

Anyway, it’s been a looooooong time since I cooked with mushrooms last, mainly because the low-fat yogurt I’d used curdled in the sauce to rather gross effect – in fact, binge-drinkers outside nightclubs on a Friday night could not have reproduced anything worse-looking. The effect, basically, was to make me shy away from putting yogurt anywhere near boiling sauce that contained mushrooms.
As I learnt from my disastrous episode with heating very low-fat yogurt, it’s best to use full-fat or regular yogurt, or at worst 2%, if you’re planning to cook with it. Otherwise, reheating leftovers could pose the same problems as heating while cooking.

The Greek yogurt I used was a branded one which I had been asked to try out, and although I’d been assured that the 2% yogurt would not curdle, I must admit I was a bit nervous when adding it to the hot sauce. But it was no lie, the yogurt didn’t “turn” and the finished dish was deeelish, thankfully dislodging the images that had attached themselves to my inner eye after the previous experience.

Recipe for: Mushroom peas yogurt curry


Ingredients:



3 cups baby button mushrooms, halved
1 cup frozen petit pois
1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt (I used Total Greek yogurt)
3/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup thick pureed tomatoes (I also used a few baby cherry tomatoes)
1 tsp grated ginger root
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Method:

1. Pound the black peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds to powder in a mortar and pestle.


2. Heat the oil, add the masala powder and let fry for 15 seconds, then add the grated ginger.


3. Throw in the sliced onions and mix well. Skip Step 4 if you are not using cherry tomatoes.


4. When the onions start softening, add the halved cherry tomatoes (if using).

Cook until the tomatoes are mushy.



5. When the onions are soft, pour in the tomato puree and add the garam masala, then add 1/2 cup water.


6. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add the mushrooms.

Let the mushrooms cook for 3-4 minutes until they release their liquid and shrink in size.

7. Now add the frozen petit pois and mix them in.


8. Cover the pan and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. If the gravy is watery, boil it on high for 2-3 minutes. When the gravy has reduced to your liking, add the Greek yogurt.


9. Add salt to taste and stir in the Greek yogurt. Let the curry simmer for another 3-4 minutes, then turn off the heat.


10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice or as a side dish for pulao and biriyani.


RECIPE: MUSHROOM PEAS YOGURT CURRY

Ingredients:
3 cups baby button mushrooms, halved
1 cup frozen petit pois
1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt (I used Total Greek yogurt)
3/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup thick pureed tomatoes (I also used a few baby cherry tomatoes)
1 tsp grated ginger root
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:
1. Pound the black peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds to powder in a mortar and pestle.
2. Heat the oil, add the masala powder and let fry for 15 seconds, then add the grated ginger.
3. Throw in the sliced onions and mix well. Skip Step 4 if you are not using cherry tomatoes.
4. When the onions start softening, add the halved cherry tomatoes (if using). Cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
5. When the onions are soft, pour in the tomato puree and add the garam masala, then add 1/2 cup water.
6. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms cook for 3-4 minutes until they release their liquid and shrink in size.
7. Now add the frozen petit pois and mix them in.
8. Cover the pan and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. If the gravy is watery, boil it on high for 2-3 minutes. When the gravy has reduced to your liking, add the Greek yogurt.
9. Add salt to taste and stir in the Greek yogurt. Let the curry simmer for another 3-4 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let the curry sit covered for 5 minutes.
10. Then garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice or as a side dish for pulao and biriyani.

Savoury egg-free nut roast

The first time I tried nut roast was a few years ago, when we went for Sunday lunch with my father-in-law and his partner, in honour of his birthday, to a pub that he favours. Sunday lunch usually involves roast beef, lamb or turkey, sometimes chicken, along with a selection of steamed vegetables and roasted potatoes, and of course a jug of gravy.

Me being vegetarian, I had to go for the only veggie option there was in the Sunday lunch section – which was nut roast. I didn’t know what it was or what I was going to get, but to my pleasant surprise, it was delicious! I don’t know if they made the nut roast from scratch at the pub or whether it was just cooked from frozen, but it didn’t matter – it was absolutely scrummy. I never had it anywhere else and we never went to that pub except with my f-i-l, but every time we went there, that’s what I had. The nut roast.

I don’t know why I didn’t think to try making it at home… well, perhaps I do know. It’s probably because the nut roast, in my mind, was linked to a specific meal at a specific place on a specific date with specific people… (and does the word specific now look as weird to you as it does to me? Repetition causes confusion.)

My mother is going to spend Christmas with us this year, the first time that circumstances have made it possible for her to be with us. (People, there IS a point to this, I’m not digressing, and especially not digressing without reason!) She was wondering what she would be able to eat for Christmas dinner, since she doesn’t even eat eggs or anything containing eggs in any form, and whether it would be too much trouble to cook for just her alone. That’s when I had the brilliant idea – I would make a nut roast for the vegetarians in the family! (See, I TOLD you, there was a point and I just made it. Without going off on a tangent. [All you need for this to happen is get the moon and the stars in the correct alignment. NOW I’m digressing. Guess the moon and stars moved.])

Of course, I didnt want to make a nut roast on Christmas Eve and then have it flop, so the next thing to do was make it now, as an experiment. (If it didnt work, at least I wouldnt have ruined our meal for Christmas!) So, I researched nut roasts and discovered that the recipe is nicely forgiving, able to accommodate pretty much anything you throw into it. The recipe below is an amalgamation of 2-3 different ones, using ingredients I prefer (courgette not aubergine, for instance; wholewheat granary breadcrumbs instead of white, etc)... and omitting the eggs entirely.

To my delight, the nut roast was as gorgeous as the one I'd had at the pub... the texture and taste were perfect. If it didnt quite hold together as well as it should have, I attribute it to the lack of egg as a "binder" (In hindsight, I should have added extra breadcrumbs). Not that I minded, and even Pete, despite good-naturedly grumbling about "too many vegetables", thought it was very tasty.

Hooray, I have a vegetarian roast recipe for Christmas! (Amma, take note.)

Recipe for: Nut roast



Ingredients:



1 cup peanuts
½ cup walnuts
Handful cashews (about 10)
Handful almonds (about 10)



1 medium courgette
1 medium carrot
1 medium onion
1 bell pepper
1 cup button mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup masoor dal (+ 2 tbsp whole masoor - optional)
2-3 dried birds eye chillies, minced (or use fresh green chillies to taste, minced)
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I used wholewheat granary bread)
2 cups chopped herbs (combination of parsley, coriander and dill)
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp sunflower oil
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Wash the masoor dal.



Cook in boiling water till done but not mushy.



The stove-top will do fine for this as masoor cooks very quickly, and you can keep track of its texture. Drain off the cooking water and reserve the cooked lentils.

2. Chop the nuts finely (but not to a powder – just small pieces) in a food processor (or by hand if you have that sort of patience).



3. Peel and grate the carrot. Chop the courgette, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms very finely.

4. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan and fry the onions, garlic and chillies till the onion is soft and brown.



5. Add the chopped herbs, dried thyme, turmeric powder, chopped courgettes and mushrooms now and stir well.



6. Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the grated carrots and bell pepper.



Saute for 7-10 minutes or till the vegetables are cooked.



Transfer the vegetables to a big bowl and let cool.



7. Then add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and mix in. Add a little salt (about ½ tsp) and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, the chopped nuts,



the cooked lentils



and the breadcrumbs



and mix it all with your hands to make a homogenous mixture



– it shouldn’t be dry but also don’t make it sloppy or runny, or the roast will not “set” in the oven. Also check for seasoning now and correct if necessary.

8. Pack the mixture tightly into a greased loaf tin,



cover with foil



and bake for 45 minutes covered, at 180C. After that take the foil off, lower the temperature to 160C and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the loaf rest for 5-10 minutes in the oven itself, before unmoulding onto a serving plate.



Serve thickly sliced with a selection of roasted and/or steamed vegetables.