Creamed Hazelnut and Mushroom Soup
It was Instagram, of course, where I saw a photo of a bowl of cream of mushroom soup (Smitten Kitchen’s), and it was cold outside, and so I thought, Yeahhh, that sounds good. That prompted me to finally visit an idea I’d had for a few months, of combining mushrooms and hazelnuts in soup form, and after some finessing, I think I’ve landed on a new favorite. There’s the cold-weather comfort and richness that’s reminiscent of the inspo, but it’s mostly its own thing: earthy, nutty, delicate, vegan. A few notes:
Vegetable stock: I made this with homemade stock and also with Better than Bullion Seasoned Vegetable Base, which is my favorite (by far) when it comes to store-bought broth. Both finished soups were excellent. The Better than Bullion products are all very salty, though, and I usually use about 1/2 teaspoon per cup of water (half of what the package recommends). On that note, I kept this soup deliberately low on salt, so that you can season it based on whatever broth/stock you use.
The nuts: I really thought this would be best, and creamiest, using nuts that were soaked overnight. But soups made that way were watery tasting and less flavorful! There’s a teeny bit of sandy, nutty texture here, as the recipe is written, but I find that to be more asset than liability. Toasting the nuts, however, is essential. Otherwise the flavor of the hazelnuts hardly comes through.
Toppings: I like this soup best on its own, with just a drizzle of olive oil and some extra black pepper. But I also tried it with a nutty sprinkle of pounded hazelnuts and rosemary, pictured above, which adds some texture and a foresty note. Some chopped fresh parsley or chives would also be nice. Croutons are excellent.
Ways to improvise: Hazelnut was the flavor direction I wanted here, so I didn’t experiment with other nuts. But cashews, almonds, or walnuts should all be worth trying, assuming you’ve got a blender strong enough to liquify them. I also only made it with button and/or crimini mushrooms, but a medley of mushrooms would add new flavors and texture to the soup. If you do experiment, please report!
Creamed Hazelnut and Mushroom Soup
Serves 4
3/4 cup hazelnuts
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 shallots, minced; or 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts thinly sliced; or 1 medium onion, minced
Salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound white button or crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sherry, dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, coarsely chopped or crumbled
4 cups vegetable broth (see above—I’m a fan of Better Than Bullion Seasoned Vegetable Base)
1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Hazelnut-Rosemary topping (optional, recipe below)
To toast the hazelnuts, place them in an oven-safe skillet or baking pan and roast in the oven (or toaster oven!) for about 15 minutes at 325 F, until golden brown. To skin them, spread them out on a clean kitchen towel, then bundle the nuts up like a little satchel and rub them against one another from the outside of the towel—most of the skins will fleck off. Put the skinned nuts in the pitcher that attaches to a blender and cover with about 1 cup of boiling water, and let stand for about 20 minutes as you work on the rest of the soup.
In a pot or Dutch oven, warm the olive oil—up to 3 tablespoons; less if you please—over medium heat, then add the shallots, a pinch of salt, and the pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the button mushrooms and raise the heat slightly. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, maybe a little more depending on how thickly sliced they are, stirring periodically, until they’ve released all their liquid, and then it has cooked off and the pan is dry. Pour in the sherry, stirring to loosen any stuck bits, then add the stock and the porcini mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
Blend the hazelnuts (and their soaking liquid) until very smooth. Carefully add the contents of the soup pot to the blender, working in batches if necessary, and pulse so that the soup is coarsely pureed. (How smoothly pureed you’d like the soup to be is your call—you can also skip pureeing the soup and just whisk the creamed hazelnuts into the pot.) Return to the pot and reheat. Taste, and if you think it needs a little zing, stir in 1 teaspoon vinegar, and adding more to taste. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and a few grinds of pepper, and sprinkled with hazelnut-rosemary topping if desired.
Hazelnut-Rosemary Topping (optional)
2 tablespoons toasted hazelnuts
1 teaspoon rosemary sprigs
A few swipes lemon zest
Pinch salt
In a mortar and pestle, combine all ingredients and pound until coarsely ground. Alternatively, mince everything together on a cutting board.