Hearty Walnut and Mushroom Soup: a perfect winter warmer

Dive into this hearty walnut and mushroom soup, a gluten-free delight with a vegan option from author Jill Culiner. Perfect for those chilly days, this delicious recipe brings warmth and satisfaction with every spoonful. Packed with flavorful mushrooms and rich walnuts, it’s sure to become a favorite in your soup repertoire.

Although I write history books, I also write romances, and when I do, I make sure the stories are pertinent as well as historically accurate. I particularly enjoy writing about people who are different. Some must adapt to new circumstances in order to survive, others are folks who have never fit into mainstream society, who challenge the status quo.

​And what do my characters eat? Well… in A Room in Blake’s Folly, Alexander Treemont, heir to a worked-out Nevada silver mine, invites Susanna (Sookie) Lacey, a brothel owner, to his home for dinner in 1927. I do love Alexander because, despite his privileged childhood, he became a rebel, an artist, and in the early 1900s, he frequented anarchist circles in Paris. Back then, anarchists were usually vegetarian.

​The meal Alexander offers Susanna consists of old-fashioned American dishes: a soup of herbed pecans and a main course of braised squash, carrots, fennel, and herbs, served with wild rice, and a dessert of home-preserved summer fruits. 

​However, as lovely as pecan soup sounds, I live in rural France, and pecans are not available here. Therefore, I make a similar soup using walnuts—I gather them in the lanes every autumn—but peeled and boiled chestnuts work just as well, and this soup can also be adapted for vegans.

What you need to make mushroom walnut soup

• Lightly toasted walnuts, pecans, or boiled and peeled chestnuts
• Chopped mushrooms (any variety)
• Fresh butter or olive oil
• Large chopped onion
• Chopped potato (optional)
• Large clove of chopped garlic (not garlic powder or dried garlic)
• Chopped parsley, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, or any herbs you have on hand
• White wine (optional)
• Vegetable broth
• Optional: Almond milk, cream, yogurt/skyr, or whole milk

Walnut and mushroom soup recipe

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Walnut and Mushroom Soup

Yield: ~8 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

A hearty walnut and mushroom soup that is gluten-free with vegan options.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup (or more) walnuts, lightly toasted (see notes below)
• 1-2 (or more) cups mushrooms, chopped (any variety)
• 1 knob butter or olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 potato, chopped (optional)
• 1 large clove garlic , chopped
• Chopped parsley, rosemary, thyme, marjoram or any herbs you have on hand
• 1 cup white wine (optional)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• Optional:Almond milk, cream, or yogurt/skyr, or whole milk

Instructions

1. Place a pot over medium heat, add in a spoon of olive oil or a knob of butter or both (that’s what I do), add the chopped onion, and let it soften for a few minutes. Stir regularly to prevent it from burning. 
2. Add the chopped mushrooms, the garlic, and the potato, stir and let it cook for another few minutes.
3. Add the herbs and the walnuts (or chestnuts, or pecans), stir until nicely combined with the other ingredients, then add the wine (if used) and the vegetable broth.
4. Stir everything together, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for around 10 minutes.
5. Now blend everything until the soup is smooth.
6. Taste, add salt and pepper, cream, milk, or almond milk. If you prefer to add yogurt, let the soup chill slightly and mix it in slowly. This soup is also excellent without the addition of milk, cream, or skyr.
7. Top with toasty homemade croutons — small chunks of bread (gluten-free if preferred) rubbed with garlic, then fried lightly in a little olive oil or butter and chopped garlic.
   

Notes

To toast the nuts, toss them in a frying pan on the top of the stove or roast them lightly in the oven. You can also use toasted pecans or boiled and peeled chestnuts.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 323Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 790mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 4gSugar: 16gProtein: 11g

Nutritional information isn't always accurate and it will vary based on the specific ingredients used.

Read and try next: A Vegetarian Version of That Strange Soup Called Petcha, Petche, or Ptse

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