Most of what we’re eating today is not food but «edible substances resembling food». They are no longer the product of nature but of food science. In the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion.
In this way Michael Polan was shooting his message in his book In Defense of Food . Published in 2008, Polan’s work laid the foundations for today’s groups warning about the danger of ultra-processed foods. When it comes to eating the product is what matters and where is the product in ultra-processed foods? Michael Polan is the great North American writer on food, culture and health and his book is a mind-opening work on the links between science and food. We cannot stop recommending it.
We are not just talking about ultra-processed foods such as Healthy Turkey Hotdogs (that, by the way, are not healthy nor made of turkey) but about the usual items in the shopping cart at the supermarket: cookies, soups, sauces, breads, ice creams, soft drinks, etc . According to Foodwatch, about 70% of the food you can buy in a supermarket is ultra-processed or highly processed. The other 30% is what common sense would tell us to eat: rice, onions, green beans, tomatoes, mushrooms (with these we could make quite a decent rice, don’t we?). If you want to know more, read the unmissable article How ultra-processed food took over your shopping basket by Bee Williams.
The return to common sense that Polan advocates seems to be at odds with our current lifestyle. It is so convenient that you get everything done and you don’t have to think about cooking. May be our current lifestyle is far from wise?
To get out from so much confusion we are going to cook wild mushrooms. Nothing could be further from a processed food, right? We bring you two winter recipes, a creamy soup with chanterelles and a stew made with black trumpets. For the second recipe, don’t miss the upcoming post by The Quotidian Cook also dealing with ultra-processed foods.
Our Creamy leeks soup with wild mushrooms is pure blessing for cold winter days. We start with a light leek soup, laced with cashews instead of butter or heavy cream. We plate it with chanterelles (or oysters, boletus or any other wild mushroom) just fried on a pan with olive oil over high heat, no garlic, nor parsley required (this is optional, of course). Quick, simple and delicious!
In this dish, the mild and light flavors of leeks blend beautifully with the mushrooms’ forest aromas . The olive oil tinted with the color of chanterelles aromatizes the soup. It’s a creamy delight with meaty bites. An ideal first course to start a winter meal wishing for a wild mushroom endless season.
- 5 leeks (just the white part)
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ l. of vegetable broth
- 50 g cashew nuts (soaked in water for about 3 hours)
- Sea salt
- White pepper mill
- 200 gr fresh chanterelles (or other wild mushrooms)
- Remove the outer layer of the leeks, trim out the roots and the green end and wash them well, making sure that there is no dirt or sand left.
- Cut them into thin slices and poach them with two tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Cook them for about five minutes until they are translucent. Add the vegetable stock and cook over medium heat for about 15 min or until the leeks are soft.
- Pour the leeks and their liquid into the glass of a blender, add the cashews, a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of ground white pepper and blend until obtaining a homogeneous cream. Reserve in a saucepan.
- Cut the chanterelles into ½ inch wide strips. Sauté them over high heat in a frying pan with two tablespoons of oil.
- Plate the creamy soup very warm and place some slices of chanterelles on top. Season with salt and pepper and decorate with the oil from sautéing the chanterelles, which will have turned into an attractive orange color.
Toni and Javi are active daily cooks who explore the beauty of natural cooking. Our mission is to bring flavor and excellence to healthy eating! 
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