Cream of Mushroom and Miso Soup

Umami explosion

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It’s close to 20(!) years since I met my now-husband. When we were going through that getting-to-know-you stage of our relationship, naturally the question of food likes and dislikes came up very early on. My husband was resolute that he hated both fish and mushrooms.

That’s perfect, I said, because I also don’t like either.

It turns out we were both wrong.

Whilst my husband still struggles with some fish and seafood (I’ll take nearly all of it nowadays), mushrooms are a different matter.

On closer inspection, it became apparent that the only reason he hated mushrooms was because he’d only ever eaten terribly cooked ones. Most notably, cheap button mushrooms flash-fried and served in an English breakfast.

It’s a textural thing, he tells me. And I get it — rubbery mushrooms are not where it’s at.

But good quality, well-prepared, well-cooked mushrooms? I mean, they’re a freaking revelation.

This week, I’m making mushroom soup. I toyed with making it all fancy with top-notch mushrooms but the ones I particularly love — Chanterelles, Morels, Porcini, Truffles — are not exactly cheap or readily available everywhere.

So it’s back to the more humble varieties of mushroom. Let’s call it going back to the old-school.

This is a banger of an autumn/winter soup, one that is very much needed here in Porto as it’s still raining (it’s not stopped in over 3 weeks). It’s also become very cold in our apartment. Anyone who knows anything about Portuguese housing will know they’re the coldest in Europe. Central heating is pretty much non-existent here and the apartments defy all thermodynamic rules by often being colder inside than out.

So I’m all over big warm bowls of food right now.

Especially when big warm bowls of food are filled with mushrooms and miso. I’m a sucker for umami flavours and those two ingredients have it in spades.

As always, I’ll break down the recipe into its core components so you can substitute with what you have in your store cupboard.

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The key to this dish is layering flavours. Each one brings something to the dish:

Onions = sweetness

White wine = aromatics

Mushrooms and miso = umami and earthiness

Cream = well, creaminess

Parsley and thyme = aromatics

Walnuts = texture and nuttiness

Bear these layers in mind when you make substitutions. For instance, if you don’t have miso, another similar flavour rich in umami is soy sauce.

If you substitute the herbs, think of what other herbs will work with the earthiness of the mushrooms, for instance, oregano, rosemary or tarragon.

If you want to swap the walnuts, swap for hazelnuts, almonds or pumpkin seeds.

Serves 4

• Olive oil and butter

• 1 medium-sized white or brown onion very finely chopped

• 500g / 17 oz button, chestnut, or similar mushrooms each cut in half then finely sliced

• 5 garlic cloves finely minced

• 100ml / 1/2 cup white wine

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 800ml / 3 cups stock (I used chicken, but vegetable would be perfect too)

• 2 tbsp red miso paste

• 80ml / 1/3 cup heavy / double cream

• Parsley, thyme, walnuts - a small handful of each roughly chopped

• Salt and pepper

Put around 2 tbsp each of olive oil and butter into a large saucepan. Heat until the butter melts.

Slowly fry the onions on a medium heat until they become soft and translucent - around 5 minutes.

Tip in the mushrooms and a pinch of salt to help draw out moisture. Fry on a medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until the mushrooms have softened.

Turn up the heat a little and add the white wine. Let it bubble off — around 2-3 minutes.

Add the flour which will help to thicken the soup. Keep the mixture moving whilst you cook out the flour for around 2 minutes.

Add the stock and miso paste. Check for seasoning. Depending on how salty your miso and stock is, you may want to add more salt. I found mine plenty salty enough.

Simmer with the lid off on a low-medium heat for around 15 minutes. Stir every few minutes. The flour will thicken the stock — you want it about single cream consistency. Add more stock if the mixture becomes too thick or bubble it off harder if it’s too thin.

Turn the heat down and then add the cream. Slowly bring the soup back to a simmer. Twist in a couple of turns of black pepper (you don’t need much).

Divide into bowls and top with thyme, parsley and walnuts.

What you could omit entirely

The base of onions, garlic, mushrooms and stock are the non-negotiables in this dish. But everything else is up for an omission or substitution.

If your cupboards are looking a little bare, you have specific dietary requirements or you’re not a fan of the following ingredients, the dish will still work without them:

• Miso

• Walnuts

• Cream

• Herbs

• Wine

If you’re gluten-free, swap the flour for cornstarch.

Substitutions

Swap white wine for white Vermouth (Vermouth is a great pantry staple because it lasts longer than dry white wine and you can make martinis).

Swap the parsley and thyme for other herbs including:

• Rosemary

• Oregano

• Basil

• Tarragon

Swap the walnuts for other herbs and seeds including:

• Hazelnuts

• Almonds

• Pumpkin seeds

• Sunflower seeds.

You could swap the cream for creme fraîche, but bear in mind many of them will split (if you’re in the UK, the best no-split one I’ve found is Waitrose French half-fat).

Swap the onions for shallots.

Play with the toppings, including:

• Extra mushrooms fried separately in butter

• A small sprinkle of smoked paprika

• Finely chopped red chilli

• Croutons

Turn extra miso paste into my peanut and miso broth.

Extra mushrooms work great in:

• Spicy Thai Larb salad

• Dan Dan noodles

• Chinese potsticker dumplings

Leftover white wine will freeze in ice cube trays to be used at a later date.

Use leftover cream to make my Chicken in Oloroso sauce.

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