Mushroom and Leek Soup

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, trimmed and finely diced
1 large leek, white part only, washed well and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Small handful of rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
500g mushrooms, wiped clean with paper towel and sliced
1L gluten-free stock (vegetable or chicken) or water
Shaved parmesan, to serve (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil, chilli oil or truffle oil, to serve (optional)

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan or stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, leek, garlic, rosemary and bay leaves and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent, without any colouring. You may need to reduce the heat to low – what’s important here is the texture of the onion, not the timing.

Once the vegetables are soft, increase the heat to high and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the stock or water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and hold at a simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Use a blender, stick blender or food processor to briefly process the soup – you want to retain some texture so don’t turn it into a puree. (If using a food processor or blender, cool the soup slightly before processing and do it in batches.)

Serve with a cheeky sprinkling of parmesan and a drizzle of olive, chilli or truffle oil.