Grunge mushroom soup

Gimme soup and salad. Everyday. And I'll be a happy soul.

I live on good soup, not on fine words.
Moliere 


Ingredients
500 g mushrooms, thoroughly washed, roughly chopped
1 pod garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
4-5 leaves of fresh sweet Thai basil
100 g leeks, chopped fine
50 g low fat cream
3-4 tbsp skimmed milk
2 tsp grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp pomace olive oil
1 tsp salted butter
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups vegetable stock (see recipe below)
Salt to taste

Method

Vegetable stock
When I make a soup, I always take the trouble to make a stock that complements my soup rather than the vegetable stock cubes available in the market. While I chop my veggies for the soup or salad, I boil some water in a saucepan. To this, I add everything that I would throw into the trash can: the outer layers and bulbs of my leeks, the stalks of basil leaves, the wafer like peels of the garlic, some mushroom stems, some leftover stalks of bell peppers, celery, thyme, rosemary, lemon rind, ginger peel or anything that could add that extra flavour to the stock. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow the stock to boil for a good 10-12 minutes on a low flame. Strain and use in soups, curries, broths, and even to knead dough. So feel free to experiment with your vegetable stocks and you will be amazed at the finesse that you achieve in flavouring your dishes. Remember to maintain a balance of flavour, something that you will learn as you go along. Some experiments will result in eureka moments when two completely varied ingredients strangely and wildly go together. Other times will lead to frantic attempts at eliminating that funny smell that the neighbours complained about by running to the exhaust fan and by opening the windows!

Making the soup
Heat the olive oil in a shallow pan. Add the chopped garlic and leeks and sauté lightly. Add the chopped mushrooms and fresh basil. Sauté till the mushrooms soften and begin to cook. Season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.  Allow the mushrooms to cook completely; take the pan off the heat and set aside.

Once cooled, coarsely grind the above mixture in a blender. In a deep bottomed pan, bring together the ground mixture, vegetable stock, skimmed milk, low fat cream, a dollop of butter and extra seasoning as per your personal preference. Place the pan on medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes allowing the flavours to fuse and create their magic. Remove pan from heat, transfer to a soup bowl and finish with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan. Serve with some sesame buns and a fresh green salad.