Mushroom & Chestnut Soup

Why did the mushroom get invited to the party? Because he was a fun-gi.

Isn’t it funny that when you were a kid you wouldn’t touch a mushroom with a 10 foot pole because they looked all weird and gross, and now as an adult I’d pretty much go foraging in the woodlands to pick some random fungus to add “earthiness” to a dish, claiming it was delicious. Go figure. So the morel (see what I did there?) of the story is, kids are a pain in the arse. Oh, sorry, I meant don’t judge a book by its cover.

Method

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan.

Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until they start to soften and colour. Keep cooking until some of the juice from the mushrooms has reduced.

Add the onion, garlic and herbs and cook for 5 minutes or so until the onion has softened.

Add the stock/broth and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add in the chestnut puree and coconut cream and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Take off the heat and puree with a stick blender or blender.

Season well with sea salt and pepper.

Serves 4

TIP – I found my chestnut puree in the baking section of the supermarket. It was in a handy 200g pouch and only contains puréed chestnuts and water.

Ingredients

  • 750g mushrooms, sliced (I used Swiss brown, but try a mixture)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 200g chestnut puree
  • 1/2 cup coconut cream
  • 2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or tamari)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper to season