This chowder is one of my guilty pleasure recipes; the ultimate, decadent vegetarian soup. Not really light in the calorie department thanks to the roux, tortellini and parmesan. However, every once in a while it’s nice to treat yourself. It’s thick, creamy and brimming with funky, nutty and earthy flavour thanks to all those lovely mushrooms.
Can you believe I hated mushrooms as recently as two years ago? The best advice I can give is to not write off an entire ingredient based off one or two bad experiences. There are usually a ton of different varieties, each with their own unique look, flavour and texture. Keep trying the different varieties and eventually you will find some that completely change your views on what was once a hated ingredient. Freshness is also a huge factor. If you ever have the opportunity to try fresh local ingredients you will be surprised what a difference in taste there can be. This advice applies to every food and ingredient group out there.
Speaking of varieties, there are a ton of different mushrooms like baby king oyster, black oyster, cremini, white button, portobello and shiitake to name a few. The possibilities for this soup are almost endless. Mushrooms are the star of this recipe, just mix and match your favourite 2-3 mushroom varieties for a fantastic, funky-tasting soup that will differ slightly each time depending on the combination used. In this case, I used baby king oysters for their delicate texture and taste, mixed with the chewier, funkier black oyster for a nice contrast. Roasting the mushrooms with some garlic and thyme will also enhance their flavour. The roasting process naturally sweetens them and brings out nuttier notes while toning down the funky flavour.
For most soup recipes, I like to use the winning combination of onions, carrots and celery. The perfect vegetable combo for stocks! These veggies are diced and sliced before being sautéed. They are set aside for later in order to preserve their tender crisp texture. If they stay in the soup from the start, they will be mush by the end of the cooking time. The sautéed veggie drippings will also add flavour to the roux! The potatoes should be scrubbed clean before being chopped into small 1-2cm cubes. To avoid the potatoes becoming oxidized through contact with air, always make sure to soak them in cold water until right before they need to be added to the soup. I usually leave the skin on however, if you aren’t a fan of skin-on potatoes, make sure to peel them before prepping.
The roux is what makes this soup a chowder! What exactly is a roux? A roux is a fat and flour mixture cooked until the flour is no longer raw, then slowly whisked into a milk-based liquid. It acts as a thickening agent for chowders. It performs a similar role to starch slurries in thickening sauces. Making a roux-based soup can be a bit finicky, so to ensure a silky, smooth and thick broth texture, free of lumps of flour, make sure to follow the instructions. Start with heating a fat, in this case butter. Whisk the flour into the fat and keep whisking for five minutes straight. The mixture will start out as a thick paste, thinning out as it’s whisked and heated. The roux will also darken in colour as it cooks, by continuing to whisk the mixture you ensure it doesn’t darken too much. Normally, it takes a roux longer to darken, however by cooking it after the sautéed vegetables, it will pick up some of the pan drippings’ colour and flavour. Five minutes over medium heat is just long enough to ensure the flour is no longer raw. Slowly add in the milk, continuing to whisk. By whisking for another 5 minutes the mixture will have lightened in colour and will resemble a salted-caramel buttercream. The roux is now ready for the soup! Slowly whisk in the water 1 cup at a time, making sure there are no lumps of flour between each addition of water. The white-coloured soup is now ready to simmer with the mushrooms.
Usually, I use vegetable broth as the liquid of choice when making vegetarian soups however, in this case water is superior. The reason? To make the mushroom flavour shine, unhindered by any other flavours. By simmering the roasted mushrooms for 40 minutes in the roux-water mixture, the nutty, roasted flavour of the mushrooms comes through and the soup will have time to fully thicken into a chowder. Adding a ladle or two of the hot broth to the pan the mushrooms roasted on, swishing it around and scraping the pan with a spoon before adding back into the soup gives even more roasted mushroom flavour. The parmesan will give a nice salty flavour to the soup and the whipping cream will make for an even creamier broth.The final component is the seasoning! As always, taste test your soup and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Timing is key for all the soup additions. By adding each component at just the right time, the final result is perfect vegetables and pasta textures. Soft potatoes that hold their form, tender onions, tender-crisp carrots and celery are the perfect textures for this soup. The tortellini should be added to the soup based on the directions on their packaging. Not only is this soup full of different flavours, it’s incredibly filling as well. My favourite way to eat it is with a piece of whole-grain toast or croutons. The whole-grain bread really complements the nuttyness from the roasted mushrooms. Add this decadent and filling, creamy soup to your vegetarian recipe repertoire this winter!
Ingredients:
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400 g mushrooms, sliced *
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3 cloves garlic, crushed
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3 sprigs fresh thyme
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2 tbsp olive oil
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1 small-medium white onion, diced (~1/2 cup)
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1 carrot, peeled and sliced (~1/3 cup)
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1 stalk celery, sliced (~1/3 cup)
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2 tbsp unsalted butter
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1/4 cup all-purpose flour
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1 cup milk
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6 cups water
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1-2 golden potatoes, chopped in 1-2cm chunks and submerged in cold water (~1.5 cups) **
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1 bay leaf
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1/2 tsp dried thyme
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2 cups cheese tortellini
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1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
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1/4 cup whipping cream (35%) *optional
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salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 425°F.2. On a sheet pan combine 1 tbsp olive oil, mushrooms, sprigs of thyme, 2 cloves of garlic as well as a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Stir until mushrooms are thoroughly coated. Roast in oven for 15 minutes, stir once at the half-way mark. Discard the sprigs of thyme.
3. In a large pot on the stove, heat-up 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper, cook for 4-5 minutes and stir occasionally. Stir in the carrots and celery, cook for an additional 2 minutes. With 30 seconds left, stir in the last clove of crushed garlic. Move the sautéed vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
4. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in the soup pot and whisk in the flour. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking for the entirety of the cook time. A thick paste will have formed at first, thinning out as it cooks. The roux will be a tan colour.
5. Slowly whisk in the milk, bring to a simmer and whisk for 5 minutes. The roux will look like salted-caramel buttercream.
6. Slowly whisk in the water, one cup at a time. Making sure the roux is fully mixed in before adding more, to avoid lumps of flour. Stir in the bay leaf and roasted mushrooms. Take two ladles of hot soup and deglaze the roasting pan with it by swishing it around. Pouring the liquid back in the soup for extra flavour. Simmer the soup for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. With 18 minutes left on the soup timer, drain the water from the potatoes and add them to the soup.
8. With 8 minutes left on the soup timer, add the sautéed vegetables, tortellini and thyme.
9. When the tortellini is almost done, add the parmesan cheese and slowly add the whipping cream (optional), stirring as it’s added. Let the soup heat back up (2-3 minutes), remove the bay leaf, add salt and pepper to taste before serving.