Mushroom Stew with Biscuits

It’s officially soup season and were starting off with mushroom stew! This stew is to die for, its a bit like a pot pie when you pop a biscuit on top. Its comfort in a bowl and packs so much comforting flavor into each bite. If you’d like to  make this vegan or dairy free you can easily sub out the cream with oatmilk, and the chicken broth and chicken bouillon with their vegetable counter parts.

Ingredients for the Stew:

• 4 celery sticks

• 4 carrots

• 2 lbs to 2.5 lbs of mushrooms

  • I use a mix usually 8-10oz white baby bella mushrooms, 8-10 oz lions mane/oyster/chestnut/brown beech/white beech/Maitake (Costco has a great variety pack)

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

• ¼ cup butter

• 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil

• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 3 tablespoons white miso paste

• 1 tsp mushroom umami seasoning (can skip if you don't have, shoprite has a good one)

• ½ tsp hondashi 

• 1 tsp aleppo pepper

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillan (I used the roasted chicken one)

• 48 oz chicken or veggie broth

• 1 cup heavy cream (or oatmilk)

• 1 tablespoon flour and 2 tablespoons water (mix to form a slurry to thicken)

Instructions:

1. Start by finely chopping your carrots, celery, and most of the mushrooms. The white baby bella mushrooms you will just slice and keep large, the rest do a mix of fine and rough chop to vary the size and texture in the soup.

2. Next finely chop the parsley, and roughly chop the kale. 

3. In a large soup pot, add the oil and allow to heat up

4. Next add in the carrots, celery, and the finely chopped mushrooms (not the white mushrooms), allow to simmer on medium-low for about 5 minutes.

5. Next add the seasonings: kosher salt, black pepper, mushroom seasoning, hondashi, aleppo pepper, paprika, and miso, stir together and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.

6. Next add the miso, parsley and kale, mix together and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.

7. Now add the broth, and move to the simmer burner, cover and allow to cook on low for 20 minutes

8. After that, add the heavy cream. Then make a slurry with the flour and water and mix into the stew to thicken slightly. 

9. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes on low, and then serve.

10. Serve with a biscuit on top (Biscuit recipe below, quick and easy and is a must!)

Ingredients for Biscuits:

• 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour

• ¼ cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon backing powder

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• ½ cup butter, cold and cubed

• 1 egg

• ¾ cup half & half 

• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions for Biscuits:

1. Preheat the oven to 420℉ 

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside

3. In large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt

4. Scatter the cold cubed butter pieces on top, and using your hands to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is evenly distributed giving a sand like look/texture.

5. In a measuring cup add the half and half, egg, and vanilla extract and mix

6. Then add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, stir to combine, the batter will look really lumpy thats normal.

7. Scoop 6 equal portions of batter onto the parchment lined baking sheet, shape them as round as possible (they're drop biscuits so shape isn't too important)

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown