The New York Times Food Facebook page is one of the best things on the internet. You could just read the food section of the news site but the Facebook page draws comments and suggestions from some excellent home cooks. It’s a wealth of good ideas. Anyway, today they shared their much-loved 5-star rated Mushroom-Spinach Soup With Cinnamon, Coriander and Cumin. I realized I had most of the ingredients on hand (with a few substitutions) so it must be a sign that this was destined to be our Saturday lunch. Plus, we’re eating tons of mushrooms lately since we watched The Magic of Mushrooms BBC documentary on Netflix.
So I made it! And it was, well it was fine.
It’s a very delicious flavorful vegetable soup. I think I was just craving something else. So I adjusted it until I ended up with this beauty, Spiced Golden Mushroom Sausage Soup. THIS was the soup I really wanted today. It’s heavier and meatier than the original recipe but it keeps the same earthy flavor profile. And don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, this really is a fast easy-peasy recipe.
Ingredients:
- 8 to 10 oz sweet Italian turkey sausage (about two to three links, removed from casings)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 pounds mushrooms (such as cremini, oyster, chanterelles and/or shiitake), chopped
- 2 medium sweet onions, finely diced
- 1/2 cup carrot, diced or shredded
- 5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 32 oz beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- Remove sausage from casings and brown over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or stock pot. Remove cooked sausage and drain on a plate with a paper towel.
- Heat butter in the same pot over medium-high heat and cook about half the mushrooms and onions. Allow mushrooms to brown and onions to soften, about 10 minutes. Remove those mushrooms and onions and repeat the process with remaining butter and the other half of the mushrooms and onions. Cooking them in stages prevents crowding and maximizes caramelization.
- Return all mushrooms and onions to the pot. Stir in all five tablespoons of tomato paste, adding a thick coat to the mushrooms. Add in the thyme, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice and brown sugar. Stir, allowing the flavors to meld, for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the baby spinach and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes immediately before serving.
- Garnish with additional cream.
Makes 6 servings.
