Mushroom Soup: Creamy And Healthy Dish Served In A Bowl

A liquid diet served in a bowl hot or warm is called soup. Soups are usually cooked together with solid vegetables or meat forming till the flavours are extracted forming a broth. They are almost similar to stews, the only distinction is that soups are more liquidy than stew. 

In authentic French cuisines, soups are majorly classified into two categories- clear and thick soups. Thick soups are again differentiated on the basis of thickening agents, ‘purees’ are vegetable soups thickened with starch, ‘bisques’ are prepared from pureed shellfish or vegetables thickened with cream, ‘cream soups’ are thickened with bechamel sauce, ‘veloutes’ are thickened with eggs, butter and cream. Few more ingredients which are used to thicken soups and broths are rice, lentils, gram, flour, and grains. Many other famous soups include carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, etc.

Health Benefits Of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are rich in fibre, protein and antioxidants and are low in calories which make it a perfect food for weight loss diet. They reduce the risk of some serious health conditions from developing like Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and even diabetes. They are good for skin, brain and even bones. Though white coloured foods are considered to be poor in nutrients but mushrooms are an exception. They contain essential minerals like selenium, potassium, iron, copper and phosphorus which are not even found in plant deprived foods. Mushrooms grown in UV lights are a rich source of Vitamin D which strengthen the bones. The health benefits associated with mushrooms make it consumable all across the globe. 

Ingredients:

For stock preparation:

• 2-3 cups of Water
• Peppercorn
• Bay Leaves
• 1 Carrot - roughly chopped
• Celery
• 1 Onion - roughly chopped
• Garlic (half)
• Salt to taste
• Mushroom Stems

For soup preparation:

• A dollop of Butter
• Garlic cloves - crushed
• 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
• Mushrooms - chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Basil Leaves
• Flour
• Milk 
• Cream

For crouton:

• A piece of Bread
• Butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Mushrooms
• Grated Cheese
• Parsley sprig

Method Of Preparation:

To make the stock:

1. In a pan, add water, peppercorn and tear in the bay leaves
2. Then add the roughly chopped carrots to the stock
3. Take a rolling bin and run it through the celery till you get the crackling sound which means, the celery is breaking down into bits and is oozing out the paste. This is done so that the stock gets maximum flavours
4. Add the celery and roughly chopped onions
5. Take the bulb of garlic and cut it into half. Add the half cut garlic to the stock.
6. Again, add salt to taste
7. Add the mushroom stems to the stock
8. Once the stock comes to a boil, put it on simmer for about 20 minutes
9. Strain the stock in a bowl using a strainer
10. Pour the stock back into the pan

To make soup:

1. In a pan, add a dollop of butter
2. Crush the garlic cloves using a rolling bin and add them to the pan
3. Add the chilli flakes and saute them till they are slightly translucent
4. Add the chopped mushrooms to the above ingredients and salt to taste
5. Add the freshly ground pepper and tear in the basil leaves
6. Add a little bit of butter to the above ingredients and sprinkle the flour over them
7. Once the mushrooms are cooked, remove a small quantity of the mushrooms and keep it aside
8. Add the rest of the cooked mushrooms to the clear stock that we kept in a bowl
9. Add milk to the stock and give it a nice stir and then let it cook for about 3-4 minutes
10. Add the cream to the soup and then start blending everything
11. Again, add a dollop of butter and little cream to the soup and blend it

To make crouton:

1. Take a piece of bread. Cut it into a small, thin round slice
2. Apply butter on both sides of the slice of bread
3. Add salt and pepper to taste and put the bread in the pan to crisp up slightly
4. Then add the mushrooms (that you kept aside earlier) on the top of the crouton
5. Grate some cheese over it and place a roundly cut cherry tomato on it.
6. Also add a parsley sprig on the top
7. Add this crouton to the mushroom soup, right at the centre

Here is the hot soup ready to be enjoyed!