Soup time! Delicious parsley and potato soup. This isn't your average boring vegetable broth. If you are looking for something both nutritious and refreshingly tasty, something that is going to rekindle your love for soup, this is definitely the one. Apart from its striking aroma, parsley imparts a fresh and vibrant flavor to this soup. I love that making soup in bulk provides lazy ready to go meals for days/weeks to come when refrigerated/frozen.
I decided to serve it with some veganised pate (foie gras), a great tasty accompaniment for this soup, made from Portobello mushrooms and set with agar agar. Think of it as a delicious mushroom spread. For those who don't know foie gras is a French delicacy made from male duck livers that have been specifically enlarged with fat due to force feeding the poor animals with corn. It's good to know that people are beginning to recognize the injustice in the production of this product, with many restaurants culling it from their menus. With this alternative, not only do you skip on the cruelty, but it tastes much better and is less smelly and gross than the real thing.
Ingredients:
Pate:
- 3 Portobello mushrooms, chopped
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 8 tbs Nuttelex (or vegan butter/margarine of choice)
- 1 cup oat milk
- 1 tbs agar agar powder
optional: - dash of sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- capers, to top
- thyme, to top
- cracked pepper, to top
Soup:
- 2 tbs nuttelex
- 1 leek, sliced
- 2 sticks of celery, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 4 potatoes, diced
- 3 cups curly parsley, chopped
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cup oat milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 fresh baguette stick
Method:
To begin, start by melting your nuttelex in a large pot. Now is the time to add the dash of sesame oil if you chose to use it.
Once liquefied, add your onion and simmer over medium heat until the onion has greatly softened.
Meanwhile, use this time to ensure that your Portobello mushrooms are evenly chopped. Other varieties of mushroom can be used, however I find that the Portobello has the best flavor for this dish.
Add your milk and agar agar powder, and whisk to ensure that the mixture is well combined and there are no clumps.
Add your chopped mushroom and simmer until they have released all their moisture and started to soften and break down.
Using a handheld stick blender, blend the mixture to a smooth and creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a silicon mold or ramekin. Top with cracked pepper, capers, and thyme sprigs. Work quickly as it begins to set quickly.
Refrigerate until set. Mine took half an hour.
Now onto the soup, half fill a pot with salted water and bring to the boil. In another pot, melt your nuttelex.
Once the pot of water is boiling, add your potato and cook until soft.
Add your leek, garlic, and celery to the pot with melted nuttelex and begin flavor basing. Keep it over low heat and stir regularly, until everything has softened. You will notice the delicious aroma.
Next add your parsley and fry for about 5 minutes.
Add your stock and bring to the boil.
Add half of the cooked potato to the soup pot, retaining the other half for later.
Blend the soup smooth using a handheld stick blender. Once done, add your milk and the remaining the potato. I like having chunks of potato in my soup, so that's why I retain half of it to add later, however you can blend it all if you prefer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once hot enough, remove from the heat.
Slice your baguette into inch thick pieces and spread your pate over the slices.
Two easy to follow recipes if I must say so myself. I poured a little extra milk over the soup after serving just for something different but its really optional. Those baguette slices work a treat for dipping, with the flavor of the soup and the mushroom paste fusing perfectly. This kind of soup can be enjoyed all year round, instead of just the colder months. Make a batch and see for yourself!
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