Creamy Crimini Mushrom Soup

I'm an unabashed mushroom lover. (But we always use protection, the mushrooms and I.) I haven't yet met a mushroom I didn't like. (No, wait a minute, I lie...I once bought a giant bag of dried mushrooms from the Chinese grocery that tasted like Athlete's Foot. The only english word on the bag that I could make out was "fungus" so I really did get what I deserved on that one. The whole bag landed in the garbage and I gargled with Listerine.

I came up with this soup for a local recipe contest involving mushrooms. I took a lot of time and care perfecting this recipe, only to find out later when I went to submit it that the winner will be chosen by a random draw of all recipes submitted. Pricks. I could have just submitted somthing out of the Joy of Cooking and saved myself a hell of a lot of time. Or, I could have submitted my very favourite mushroom recipe:

-Get a pan.

-Pour in olive oil

-Fry mushrooms

-Salt and serve.

At any rate, this soup was very good with a mild mushroom flavour. I'm experimenting lately with recipes that rely more on the delicate taste of the vegetables and less on oodles of spices. You will find that the natural mushroom flavour rules the roost here.

Creamy Cremini Mushroom Soup

Makes two lumberjack-sized portions, two portions for folks with a more delicate appetite.

In a large pot, Add:
2 oz of raw cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
Pinch salt
~Sauté until starting to brown. Put in a bowl and set aside. ~

In the same pot, now add:
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
6 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
4-½ cups water
1 Tbsp vegan beef-style bouillon
1 tsp soya sauce
1/3 tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
¾ tsp summer savoury
½ tsp salt

Allow to summer for 25 minutes. Turn the pot off, and allow to cool a little. Use an immersion blender to puree the contents right in the pot. Be careful not to “over-puree”; you can leave a few small chunks. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the sliced mushrooms.