Day 15: Vegan Monastery Mushroom Soup With Tahini, Leeks and Rice - March 17, 2014

Following the recipes in the Greek Monastery Cookery cookbook is always an adventure.  We have made several of the recipes and most of them have been delicious.  We also know that they are healthy because the monastic lifestyle does not include meat, and often, it has minimal salt.  We found that this recipe, as with several before, we had to add some salt and pepper to our own plates.  But, the soup itself was really flavourful.

Mushroom soup is something we think of as part of a cream soup.  How many evenings in the winter do we try to warm up with a can of cream of mushroom soup?  But, mushroom soup does not have to be a creamed soup.  The monks have a light, herbed version of mushroom soup that's sure to warm anyone on a cold night.

We chose to use baby portobello mushrooms for this recipe.  The portobello is a flavourful, hearty, and firm mushroom that holds its shape and texture through the cooking process.  It gave a beautiful appearance to the finished dish, and made the soup look quite hearty.  You can choose whatever mushrooms you like, as long as they give you some flavour when cooked -- i.e. canned mushrooms would not give enough flavour to this soup.

The other taste that shines in this soup is the "Fasting Avgolemono."  Okay, we know that it is not possible to have avgo (egg) lemon while fasting, but the monks have found a way to simulate this by using tahini and lemon.  The tahini, which is ground sesame, brings a new dimension to this soup.  And, lemon is a standard flavour for many Greek foods.  Combining the two to make a sauce really made this soup light and refreshing while being filling and hearty from the mushrooms.  We rounded off the measurements to give you standard measures; otherwise, we would have to specify the size and shape of a water goblet, a wine glass, and a soup spoon.  Those measurements become very confusing, which is why we are using standardized measurements for you.

For this recipe, you will need the following: 

8 ounces mushrooms (about 225 g), sliced

1/2 bunch dill fronds (leafy part)

3 scallions, chopped

1/2 cup rice

some water (see directions)

1 lemon, juiced

1 TBSP tahini 

First, sauté the scallions in a small bit of oil until they become soft.  If you are following an oil-free fast, then put a little water in the pot and steam the scallions until soft.

Add the mushrooms and mix well.  You may start to enjoy he aromas that are wafting through the kitchen as the mushrooms turn soft.

Now, add the dill fronds.  Remember, the fronds are the fluffy ends of the dill, so make sure to remove the stems.  Mix these well so the dill has a chance to soften, too.  This is the point where the dill will start to release some of the oils and flavours, and will become a subtle undertone in the soup.

Next, add the rice and mix everything together well to make sure the rice is fully coated by the other ingredients.  Allow this to cook for about three to five minutes, which should be long enough for the rice to get hot.

Then, add some water to the pot.  You want to pour enough water to cover the mixture, plus one inch (2.5 cm).  So, depending on how deep or shallow your pot is, that may change the amount of water that you use.  Really, you are going to add enough water to make the amount of soup that you want.  You could use vegetable broth, mushroom broth, or water.  There was a note in the cookbook that you could even add a spoonful of tomato paste at this point, if you want.  Whether you add tomato or not, you have to let the soup boil until the rice is cooked.  This should take about 20 minutes of the rice to be soft.  While the soup is boiling, get ready the tahini/lemon sauce.

Mix the tahini in a bowl so it is smooth.  Add the lemon juice and mix well.  You will see the tahini become lighter in colour.  Make sure that it is well blended.

When the soup is almost done boiling, take a ladle full of broth and add it to the tahini/lemon mixture.  You are going to temper the tahini/lemon mixture, which means add a little broth, mix well, add a little more broth, mix well, then, add a little more to make the tahini mixture as warm as the soup on the stove.  Then, add the tahini/lemon mixture back to the soup pot and bring it all back to a boil.  Make sure that the rice is fully cooked, and turn off the heat.

Serve the soup with a little lemon, a grinding of fresh pepper, and maybe some bread.  Enjoy the light flavours and the freshness of the ingredients.  You may find that you, too, will want to add a shake of salt to your bowl.  If you are in a family of salt-eaters, then add it to the pot before serving.

This was such a nice, light treat.  We do appreciate that the monks share their recipe and their healthy ways with us through this cookbook.  It is one of the most useful books that we have during fasting periods!

St. John the Dwarf - Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Κολοβός - Source of image: http://orthodoxchurchquotes.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/st-john-the-dwarf-5.jpg

"Even if we are entirely despised in the eyes of men, let us rejoice that we are honoured in the sight of God.”

St. John the Dwarf to his brother (Daniel), Saying of the Desert Fathers

Source of quote: http://orthodoxchurchquotes.com/category/sayings-from-saints-elders-and-fathers/st-john-the-dwarf/