German Mushroom Soup

Soups become a staple of my kitchen as soon as the leaves start turning and the temperature drops. A couple of winters ago I decided to try to cook all of the soup recipes in the Fiddlehead Cookbook. The cookbook contains nine recipes for soup, and I have made six of them. Hopefully I will make the other three this winter. Every soup has been delicious and unique, and the reason I have not cooked though all of them is because these recipes demand to be made more than just once... and smoked halibut is hard to come by in Indianapolis.

One of my favorites is the German Mushroom Soup. I tried this recipe randomly a couple of years ago and it was the one that convinced me I needed to make all of the soups. I love mushrooms, and this soup excels at bringing out their savory, earthy, mushroominess. I am not aware of other broth based mushroom soup recipes. Though, to be fair, I have not looked for other recipes as I am quite happy with this one.

For German Mushroom Soup (The Fiddlehead Cookbook p. 22):


Heat 4 Tablespoons olive oil and or butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. The recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons of butter and 2 Tablespoons of safflower oil. I almost never have safflower oil on hand so I always substitute olive oil. I have tried both straight oil and with half butter. Butter and mushrooms do go together very well, but if you do not have butter, or are cooking a vegan meal then substitute olive oil.

Once the oil is hot add:

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion, cut stem to tip, not diced

Cook onion until transparent, string occasionally to prevent burning. This will take about five minutes. Once onion is cooked reduce heat to low.

Add 1/4 cup flour. And cook stirring for about 10 minutes until the flour and onions turn golden brown. The flour will help thicken the soup, and toasted flour also helps to impart on the broth a rich flavor. This is the method used to make roux in french and Cajun dishes.

Once your flour and onions are brown add:

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dried bay leaf
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (or use bullion or bullion paste)
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 1/3 cups dry red wine (I buy the little bottles of wine especially to cook with)
4 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (any type will work, but portobellos or crimini are especially tasty)
2 teaspoons soy or tamari sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (if making vegan or vegetarian make sure to use vegan Worcestershire sauce as the normal one contains anchovies, you can also make your own vegan Worcestershire sauce.)


Bring the soup to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook at a simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

When soup has simmered dissolve 1 Tablespoon red or brown miso with 1/2 a cup of hot soup. Miso can be difficult to find and usually has to be purchased from an international or Asian grocer. It will usually be found next to the tofu in the refrigerated section. It is a salty fermented paste, usually made from soy and comes in many different varieties and flavors. Putting miso in a vegetarian soup is a great way to add a depth of flavor and savoriness that is most often associated with meat based broths. Originally, tamari sauce was a byproduct of miso production, though this is not the case of the sauce you commonly by in the grocery today. The recipes from the Fiddlehead make great use of miso, and making these recipes was my introduction to this versatile ingredient.

Once the miso is dissolved add the liquid and miso back to the soup pot and stir in. Taste the soup and add salt if necessary. Both the broth and the miso are salty, so additional salt may not be necessary. Serve at once and garnish with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

While delicious, this soup is too light to serve as a stand alone main course. Adding a 1/4 cup of barley or rice during the simmering process can help to make it more filling, though I dislike how this detracts from the flavor. I serve it for lunch or dinner with a couple of slices of bread on the side, or as a side accompaniment to salad, quiche, or grilled cheese sandwiches.