Additional Recipes:

MUSHROOM CASHEW CREME SOUP

(from Professional Vegetarian Cooking by Ken Bergeron, 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Dried mushrooms added during the simmering of this soup provide concentrated flavor. For more intense mushroom taste, at the end of the cooking add some dried mushrooms,

preferably the less gritty domestic white type, which have been pulverized in a blender.

1/2 cup dried mushrooms

1 cup hot water

1 1/2 cups onions, small dice

1 1/2 cups carrots, small dice

3/4 cup celery, small dice

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 Tsp. garlic, minced

6 cups fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup flour, white

7 cups hot vegetable stock

1 Tbsp. sherry wine

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt

pinch black pepper

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup fresh parsley or cilantro, minced

2/3 cup toasted cashew crème (see below)

1) Place the dried mushrooms in hot water to soften and make mushroom liquor set aside.

2) Sauté the onions, carrots and celery in olive and sesame oils over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes.

3) Stir in the flour. Gradually stir in the hot vegetable stock. Into the soup, slowly pour off the mushroom liquor from the rehydrated mushrooms, being careful not to add any sediment that may be in the bottom of the container. Rinse off the rehydrated mushrooms, chop finely and add to the soup.

4) Add all the remaining ingredients except the toasted cashew crème to the soup. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the toasted cashew crème and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Garnish:

For a simple garnish sprinkle bowls of soup with chopped fresh parsley, chives, cilantro or thinly sliced scallions. For special presentations place some sautéed mushrooms such as shiitake, Portobello or oyster in each bowl, then ladle in the soup tableside. Drizzle a little cashew crème over the soup as well.

Variations:

Different mushroom flavors can be realized by using one or more of the various fresh mushrooms available. Add a few rosemary leaves or a small sprig of thyme for additional zest.

Cashew Crème:

(Yields about 1 cup)

Raw or roasted cashews may be used to make cashew crème as called for in a particular recipe.

1/2 cups cashews, raw

3/4 cups water

1) Place the cashews in a blender and using a pulsing action, grind as fine as possible.

2) With the blender turned off, loosen the ground nuts from the sides and bottom of the blender.

3) Add water and start pulsing the blender at a low speed. Increase blender speed and blend until very smooth. For thick cashew crème reduce water to 1/2 cup.

Makes 10 1-cup servings.