Here we are in week 4 of my Summer of Sweden series! As it turns out, this year there has been an Indian Summer (or British Summer like they say in Sweden) and September has been a relatively warm, sunny and beautiful month. This week we hopped on the ferry and sailed to beautiful, historic Gotland, an island 56 miles (90km) off the East Coast of Sweden. Gotland's rugged and beautiful wind-swept coast, medieval historic capital - Visby, numerous and beautiful beaches all make it a truly wonderful vacation destination. I have been inspired by the abundant agricultural produce of the island and have turned my sights to mushrooms. Wild mushroom picking is a very popular Swedish tradition particularly toward the end of Summer when they become very abundant. My dish this week is Wild Mushroom Soup. However, if you live in a big city like I do, the store bought mushrooms will just have to do!
Wild Mushroom Soup (Soppa påVild Svamp)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ red onion (½ cup), diced
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups fresh mushrooms (cremini, baby portabella, oyster, enoki, chanterelles), sliced thinly
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth
1 cup sweet sherry
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (thyme, sage, rosemary), chopped finely
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon allspice, ground
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1 cup milk
Optional Ingredients
2 tablespoons cream
A sprig of dill for garnishing
Method
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and fry the onions and garlic for about 1 minute, then add the flour and continue frying for 2 more minutes
Add mushrooms and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender
Add the vegetable or chicken stock/broth, sweet sherry, fresh herbs, bay leaf, allspice, freshly ground black pepper and salt, then bring to boil
Add the milk, and simmer for 5 minutes
Add the cream (optional) then remove from heat
Serving suggestion: Drizzle some more olive oil over the soup before serving, and add a sprig of dill, looks and tastes delicious!
Tips: Note that Chanterelle mushrooms would typically be used in this recipe in Sweden, but I have listed several different types of mushrooms that also taste great with this recipe; Instead of 2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock/broth, you can use 2 cups of water and 1 vegetable or chicken bouillon/stock cube; Almond milk is a great alternative to other kinds of milk as it has a really rich and creamy texture, but is non-diary and gluten free and has cholesterol lowering properties;
