- All work well and bring their own subtle differences in flavour and texture.
- Roasting draws out their earthiness and intensifies their umami, which gives the soup its deep, rich base.
- Cooking the onion, garlic and celery gently with the lid on helps them soften without colouring, and builds a sweet, savoury backbone for the soup.
- A splash of white wine lifts the flavour and helps loosen all the caramelised bits from the pot, for extra depth.
- For a silky, restaurant-style finish, blend thoroughly and fold through vegan cream at the end for added richness.
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- 1kg Swiss brown or portobello mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons freshly picked rosemary, finely chopped
- Salt flakes, for seasoning
- 4 tablespoons (80ml) extra virgin olive oil (plus extra, for garnishing)
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced (plus 1 clove for rubbing)
- 1 large brown onion, peeled and diced
- 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 6 cups vegetable stock or water
- ½ baguette, finely-sliced in rounds
- ⅓ cup vegan crème fraîche or vegan cream (plus extra, for garnish)
- Freshly-cracked black pepper, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Line two large flat trays (large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer) with baking paper.
- Arrange the mushrooms on the tray then scatter half of the chopped rosemary, along with a good pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of oil drizzled over. Transfer to the preheated oven to roast for 20 minutes, or until golden colour.
- While the mushrooms are roasting, heat the butter and a tablespoon of oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic, diced onions, celery and bay leaves, pop a lid on and set the timer for 10 minutes, giving it the odd stir so it doesn't stick or burn.
- When the mushrooms are a golden colour, remove from the oven and reserve 4 of the nicest looking roasted mushrooms for garnish. Add the remaining roasted mushrooms to the pot. Splash in the white wine and allow to reduce by ⅓ while scraping any fond (nice brown bits) from the bottom of the pot. Add the stock, bring to the boil, and reduce to a simmer with the lid off for 20 minutes.
- , toss the sliced baguette with the rest of the chopped rosemary and olive oil and lay them out onto your baking tray and pop into the oven at 200°C for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, rub with reserved garlic clove and sprinkle with salt flakes (optional but excellent) while still warm.
- Remove the bay leaves from the soup and, using a blender, blend the soup to a purée. Fold through the crème fraîche or heavy cream.
- Serve the soup with the garlicky crostini, an extra blob of vegan crème fraîche or vegan cream, some slices of the reserved mushrooms over the top, along with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and freshly-cracked black pepper.