MUSHROOM & ROOT VEG

A STEW 🍄

It is somewhat shocking that it’s taken me this long to make a mushroom soup. I have often said that mushrooms are my favorite food. To be honest, it upsets me when people say they don’t like them. “It’s a texture thing.” What are you, a baby? I’m honored to bring you this mushroom stew. Make it and like it. 

When I started thinking about what kind of mushroom soup recipe I wanted to create, I knew that I wanted to stay away from cream. Naturally, cream of mushroom and mushroom wild rice are the main characters in the mushroom soup story and they deserve to be. They are top tier but also a dime a dozen, and I wanted to bring you something else. This stew is mushroom forward. It has a lot of elements and a lot of steps. Because it is vegetarian, I wanted to manipulate the components in a few different ways in order to achieve a layered final product. Not only is this stew complex and delicious, it is aesthetically pleasing. It’s serving body and face.  

MUSHROOM BROTH

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, halved
5 carrots, peeled
1 large turnip, peeled
1 large parsnip, peeled 
2 heads of garlic, halved laterally
1 small knob of ginger, halved
10 oz. dried mushrooms (porcini, shitake, or mixed)
3 lbs. mushroom stems (cremini and portabella)
1 tbsp. whole peppercorns
1 tbsp. kosher salt 
2-3 quarts cold water

Peel carrots, turnips and parsnips and set aside using only the peels for the broth. In a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat olive oil and place the onions flesh side down for 5 minutes or until they are very charred. Add mixed vegetable peels, garlic, ginger, dried mushrooms, mushroom stems, salt, pepper and water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Once the dried mushrooms have rehydrated, turn the heat off and place a lid on the pot. Allow broth to steep for one hour then strain.

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MUSHROOM & ROOT VEG STEW

¼ cup red wine
3 lbs. mushroom caps, quartered
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large turnip
1 large parsnip
4 tbsp. butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tbsp. tomato paste
5 Carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tbsp. flour
4 red potatoes cut into 2-inch pieces
3 quarts mushroom broth, separated 
1 bunch of thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 handful parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 425° F.  Add chopped mushroom caps to a bowl with red wine and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Toss and set aside. Cut parsnips and turnips into 2-inch pieces and place on a sheet tray, coat in olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Roast until they have browned on one side, 5-10 minutes. Continue to check on the parsnips and turnips. You want to achieve nice browning while not overcooking them, as they will get mushy. Remove from oven and set aside. In a Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat, working in batches, brown the mushrooms and set them aside. Do not overcrowd the bottom of the pot. Lower the heat and add butter. When the butter has melted add onions and sauté until they become translucent.  Then add garlic. Sauté onions and garlic for another minute then add cumin and tomato paste. Add carrots and stir to coat in tomato paste. Add flour and stir until completely absorbed then add potatoes, mushrooms, 2 quarts broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. The stew should thicken. Once the carrots become tender, add roasted parsnips and turnips. Add more broth, if needed or desired. Turn off heat and add vinegar and parsley. Serve this soup with more chopped herbs, red pepper flakes, and crusty bread. This recipe yields 4-5 quarts.

I’m really proud of this soup and have been thinking about it pretty much non-stop since creating this recipe. I even took it on a romantic date to celebrate our time together.

I hope everyone is having a pleasant new year thus far. Mine has been mostly relaxing and lovely. I’m happy to say that there are plans in the works to get brothmonger back to the public very soon and get lots of soup into the bellies of the people of Pittsburgh in 2023. I hope to see you all at the next pop up which will be taking place on February 4th at The Refillery in Squirrel Hill. I am very excited to be working in cooperation with Crustworthy for this event. Please follow me and the two of them on Instagram for more information. Thank you. Love you.

-the BMer