Mushroom Oat Soup

This photograph does not do justice to this soup.

I love to switch up my grains. Last week I made mushroom barley soup with oat groats instead of barley. It was yummy.

Oats are fabulous healing foods. They are good for the heart, help lower cholesterol, and contain beta glucan — an excellent immune booster. And they aren't just for breakfast.

For this soup I used the whole groats - not the ones with husks on that are used for sprouting. They look a lot like barley, and add a similar silkiness to soups when cooked.

The parsnip adds an underlying richness to the soup. If you don't have one, just omit it. Or stir in a couple of teaspoons of tamari at the end to deepen the flavor.

You can use any combination of mushrooms that total approximately a pound. And if you're not able to go outside and pick a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary, you can use dried instead. Start with a sprinkle and let it cook a while before you decide whether to add more. They should enhance the flavor, not stand out too much.

Also, if you're using fabulous roasted vegetable stock, you'll only need a couple of cups in the large pot of soup. Use water for the rest of the liquid.

Mushroom Oat Soup
1/2 cup oat groats
1/2 oz dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms
3 medium leeks
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb oyster mushrooms
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms
1/2 lb (or 6 oz) cremini mushrooms
6 cups vegetable stock
2 medium carrots
1 medium parsnip
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp minced thyme
1/2 tsp minced rosemary
2 tbsp minced parsley to serve

Put the oats in a bowl with water to cover by 2 inches and leave to soak 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the liquid and slice them thinly. Reserve the liquid.

Cut the hairy root end off the leeks, then slice them in half lengthwise. Wash them thoroughly in cold water, making sure to rinse any dirt out from among the leaves. Thinly slice the white and pale green parts.

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Slice the oyster, shiitake and cremini mushrooms thinly and add to the pot. Cook about 10 minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has evaporated.

Peel the carrots and parsnip and slice thinly crosswise.

Add the reserved mushroom liquid, drained oat groats, vegetable stock, carrots and parsnips to the pot. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, thyme and rosemary. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until the oats are tender, about 35 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley. Serve hot.

Serves 8

This soup reheats well too.