spring soup
Who here doesn’t like soup? ::crickets:: Okay, cool, I’m in good company.
The recent weather has been conducive to making all sorts of soups and pseudo-hearty dishes. Spring brings out such an unusual tempo of the year and I’ve harbored a great deal of enjoyment in personifying this quarterly passage of time through cooking. With nearly non-existent prep and a short heat time, this is just the recipe you need when you’re voracious after your 30-minute quarantine walk-in-circles.
Those who know me are aware that I usually identify as vegan. During this time of volatility in the food market, however, I have leaned heavily towards Pescatarian+. I still refrain from dairy and land animal products and remain largely plant-based, but as I have lost weight over the past few weeks I am taking extra steps and nutritional shortcuts to protect my brain and other vital organs (enter the shrimp). For strict vegans, feel free to omit the shellfish and replace with the vegan fish sauce recipe below.
mushroom & farro soup with(out) shrimp
1 cup farro
1/2 - 1 lb thick-sliced white mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups veggie broth
2 Tbsp thyme
1/2 lb frozen shrimp/sub vegan fish sauce* or liquid aminos to taste
red wine
salt + pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the farro and cook until tender, 15-20 mins, occasionally stirring. Drain and sequester grains to one side of the pot.
On the other side of the pot next to the farro, add 2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add in mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and reduce until they deepen in color, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 Tbsp of oil and incorporate garlic and thyme, allowing to simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 mins allowing all of the flavors to marry.
If using the frozen shrimp, simmer until cooked through, about 5 mins, or stir in the vegan fish sauce to the level of umami you seek. Add in the red wine and allow to mellow for about a minute. If you do not have wine, any acidic component will do - lemon juice or zest would be beautiful. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with fresh-baked bread.
*Vegan Fish Sauce Substitute
1 cup water
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp soy sauce
.25 oz dried mushrooms (the danker, the better)
Boil water in a kettle. As water boils, mix together salt, soy sauce, and dried mushrooms in a small bowl or mug. Pour boiled water over other ingredients and steep for 20 minutes (shorter if you want less flavor extraction/milder sauce). Strain out the mushrooms (feel free to leave in if using immediately for a recipe). You can alternately simmer all of the ingredients in a sauce pan on the stove.
This condiment will last a long time in the fridge if you don’t use it all right away. I have been chipping away at my supply of King Mushrooms I had bought from the Waverly Farmer's Market a couple seasons back. I highly recommend the dried lobster or black trumpet - a 1 oz bag is supremely potent and will last you many months.
Funnily enough, I happened to be listening to Substitution by the Silversun Pickups as I wrote this post. Don’t be held back! Recipes like this are made for swapping out ingredients for what you have on hand. Further, if you double and save the leftovers, you will be rewarded with all the flavors that opened up overnight.
Now mush and share your substitutions!
