Spinach, Mushroom & Coconut Soup With Carrot Cornbread

As recently as a few days ago mornings were cold with lingering risk of frost, and it was still fairly cool today, perhaps the last soup and cornbread kind of day of the season.

With spinach of edible size in the garden it was time to use up the last of the store-bought spinach. Mushrooms, stored in a paper bag in the refrigerator, were drying out so were added to the ingredient list. A small jar of coconut milk from a partially used can would be good addition to any soup. The idea of coconut milk in a savory soup brought to mind lemon grass which I did not have, but I did have dried lime leaves. So that’s the direction it went.

The making of the soup began with onion and garlic being blended with coconut milk.

 

As an afterthought, a green chili (seeds removed) was also blended in.

 

Meanwhile mushrooms were being sautéed in virgin coconut oil.

 

When the mushrooms began to soften, washed and drained fresh spinach was added.

 

When the spinach had wilted the blended onion, garlic, green chili and coconut milk was mixed in.

 

Dried lime leaves were also added, and cooking continued to take away the rawness of the onion, garlic and green chili.

 

After several minutes the remainder of the coconut milk was added along with a grinding of nutmeg.

 

A final seasoning of kosher salt and a splash of mushroom ketchup completed the soup.

 

While the soup was simmering cornbread was baking in the oven. That process began with shredded carrot being mixed with self-rising yellow cornmeal. When adding vegetable ingredients to a batter I like to mix them with the dry ingredients first so some of the moisture can be absorbed to better judge how much more of the wet ingredients will be needed to achieve the right consistency.

 

An egg, carrot juice and a sprinkling of red chili flakes and dried onion chives were then added.

 

The cornbread baked in a 400ºF oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

 

And such was lunch.

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