Quinoa Porcini Soup
I must have made a variation of this soup 20 times. It's always been good, but when I subbed in porcini mushrooms it was absolutely divine. I'm never going back to the old version again!
I must have made a variation of this soup 20 times. It's always been good, but when I subbed in porcini mushrooms it was absolutely divine. I'm never going back to the old version again!
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 c onions coarsely chopped
- 5 c vegetable stock
- 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms chopped
- 3 large carrots halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crossw
- 3 large celery ribs diced
- 1/2 c dried split peas
- 1/2 c quinoa
- 1 tbsp dried dill
- freshly milled pepper to taste
- Carbohydrate 49.6745895459184 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.92758575 g
- Fiber 11.608662502718 g
- Protein 13.6369438979592 g
- Saturated Fat 0.265520375 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (485g)
- Sodium 356.308875 mg
- Sugar 38.0659270432004 g
- Trans Fat 0.278337725 g
- Calories 256 calories
Step-by-step
- Place everything in a pressure cooker except the pepper.
- Cook under high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Quick-release the pressure and stir everything to combine. (The quinoa has a tendency to float to the bottom.)
- Serve warm with freshly milled pepper over the top.
Pressure cooking dried wild fungi alongside dense grains like split peas and pseudo-cereals collapses hours of traditional simmering into minutes while maximizing the extraction of water-soluble aromatic compounds from the porcini. Throughout European culinary history, reconstituting dehydrated forest mushrooms in savory liquids offered a concentrated umami source during colder months when fresh produce remained entirely unavailable. Quinoa, domesticated millennia ago in the Andean region, behaves differently in high-pressure environments than typical European grains, absorbing surrounding moisture rapidly and requiring a thorough post-cooking agitation to redistribute its starches evenly throughout the vegetable stock.
- Chop the dried porcini mushrooms finely before adding them to the pressure cooker to ensure their intense flavor disperses uniformly across the five cups of vegetable stock.
- Maintain high pressure for exactly 7 minutes, then execute a quick-release of the steam to prevent the carrots and celery ribs from turning excessively mushy.
- Stir the contents vigorously immediately after opening the lid, because the lightweight quinoa grains naturally migrate downward and settle against the base of the pot during the pressure cycle.
- Store leftovers in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, noting that the split peas and quinoa will continue to absorb liquid and require a splash of water during reheating.
Consuming this vegetable-forward preparation on the second day often yields a superior depth of flavor as the dried dill and garlic infuse further into the legumes. Proper refrigeration preserves the structural integrity of the root vegetables without compromising the nutritional profile provided by the high fiber content.
