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You'll be forgiven if you aren't sure exactly what's going on here. it took me a while myself to figure this out. I decided to try using mushrooms in the cumin recipe challenge. Mushrooms are the savory component of many a vegan dish, so I imagined a sort of chili, but with much less in it.
That's why jalapeno peppers got invited to the party, and I regretted that decision at first.
As I began with my usual absurdly thick mushroom soup recipe, I was happy that the cumin was doing a little dance with the mushrooms, but then the peppers would cut in and almost knock them off the dancefloor. I was surprised: I only used 1 pepper (with seeds)! But, then again, a proper chili has a LOT more substance to it. Here, it's all mushrooms and stock. And, I didn't want to get another few pounds of mushrooms to balance out the heat.
Then, I remembered what Niki Segnit ("The Flavo(u)r Thesaurus") wrote about another pairing with cumin: mint. She mentioned that this combo evokes feelings of being in Cairo. That appealed to me. I really wanted fresh mint for a maximum cooling effect, so I went out and bought some the next day.
It worked! The flavor progression goes like this: the mushroom gets enveloped in a blanket of cumin, the pepper steps in to remind you that this is a spicy soup, and then the mint gives a gust of a cool breeze to reign things in. It's very well-balanced.
I was seriously looking at having to trudge my way through adding things and seeing what might work. Now, I'm looking forward to my next bowl.
Ingredients
1 pound portabella mushrooms
2-1/2 pounds white mushrooms
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon canola oil
10 cloves garlic, grated
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
4 cups vegetable stock (I made my own stock)
1 ounce green onions, cut in small pieces
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Fresh mint, cut in ribbons
Directions
1. Scrape the veins on the underside of the portabella mushroom caps off and set mushroom caps aside. If you're making your own stock, add the scrapings to the stock mixture. If you're using store-bought stock, add the scrapings to the stock and heat for 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve to remove the particles, and set stock aside.
2. Add cumin seeds to the pot without anything else. Stir frequently until you can smell some of the aromatics escaping, and until they brown slightly. Remove, cool slightly, then grind and set aside.
3. Heat a large pot to medium heat. Add oil and grated garlic. Stir to coat, and heat for about a minute, stirring constantly, until slightly browned. Add jalapeno pepper and ground cumin and stir constantly for about a minute.
4. Chop mushrooms into chunks.
5. Add mushroom chunks to the pot. Stir thoroughly to coat. Don't worry if it seems that they won't fit in the pot: as the water leaves the mushrooms, they will soften and reduce in volume.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for at least half an hour, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking and stirring until all the mushroom pieces are softened. This process extracts the moisture from the mushrooms and concentrates the flavor.
7. Add stock to the pot and mix thoroughly. Cook for another half hour on medium heat.
8. Pour soup into a blender, working in batches, and puree the soup. Return to the pot. Stir in chopped green onions. Add salt and pepper, adjusting to taste.
9. Ladle soup into bowl, and place a layer of fresh mint slices on top of each bowl. Serve immediately.
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