Cream of Mushroom Soup

The downside of freezing food is that sometimes this negatively affects the flavor and/or texture. The upside, though, is that the time elapsed makes you a much more objective judge of your own cooking. I made this cream of mushroom soup a few months ago for a casserole that never happened. More recently, I've been cleaning out the freezer and decided to thaw this one out. In the process of freezing, the cashew cream had sunk to the bottom, being heavier than the rest of the soup, and the whole thing was a bit chunky. Almost despairing, I blended the thawed soup. And it was fine!

More than fine--it was delicious! A rich but silky texture, an earthy--but slightly tangy (Worcestershire sauce)--flavor... Thanks, Julia of the recent past!

Since I have this vegan Worcestershire sauce, I should figure out more things to use it in. Such a unique flavor... any ideas? I know my stepsister puts it in her guacamole, but besides meat marinades, what else is it good for?

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup with Cashew Cream

(from Joy the Baker)

Ingredients

1/2 c raw cashews

1/2 c water

*

2 TB olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 TB soy sauce

1 TB vegan Worcestershire sauce (vegan please)

3 c vegetable broth

about 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper

salt to taste

Instructions

1. Blend cashews and water until smooth. I prefer to soak them ahead of time.
2. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil. Saute onions for a few minutes, then add garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Then add mushrooms, soy sauce, and Worcestershire and cook until mushrooms are soft and juicy.
3. Add stock and simmer 15+ minutes.
4. Turn off heat. When soup is cool enough, blend it until very creamy. Stir in cashew cream and serve hot. Serves about 4.