Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

Soup:
• 8 large Portobello mushroom caps
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• Salt, to taste
• 6 cups water
  
  
  
Sauce:
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt, to taste

Method:
With a small knife, cut off the stem and peel away the outside skin on the top of the mushroom cap. With a spoon, scrape away the inside dark gills from the top. Slice the cleaned mushroom cap and set aside.

In a medium soup pot over medium heat, add the canola oil, garlic, onion, and thyme. Sweat ingredients until the mushrooms are soft and the onions are translucent. Add water and simmer for about 25 minutes. With an immersion blender or food processor, carefully blend the mixture, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Season with salt and set aside.

Place red pepper directly on top of a high burner flame, constantly rotating it so that all sides are completely blackened. Under running water, peel away the burnt skin of the pepper and remove the seeds and core from the inside. Place the cleaned pepper into a blender with olive oil and a pinch of salt and blend until creamy.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with pepper puree.

Wine pairing:
An Oregon Pinot Gris such as the St. Innocent Pinot Gris O’Connor Vineyard 2001 from the Willamette Valley