Roasted Wild Mushroom Chowder

Wow, it has been really cold here.  Yesterday it was in the mid 40's and raining.  When it's this cold I could eat soup everyday, especially a soup like chowder.  Wild mushroom chowder is one of my favorites--earthy, creamy and comforting, but I rarely ever make it because my husband is not a big fan of mushrooms.  It's a texture thing.  Oh well...he survived...the flavor of this chowder is incredible!  Next time I'll just rough chop the mushrooms and he will never know the difference!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs assorted mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, oyster, and chanterelle)
1 cup leeks, small diced (about 1 leek)
1 cup carrots, small diced
1 cup celery, small diced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup pale dry sherry (divided)
2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Louisiana Hot Sauce or Tabasco
8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 
2 cups baby red potatoes, small diced
1-1/2 cups cashew cream (see recipe below)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped chives for garnish

Method:

• Prep mushrooms for roasting.  Cremini: wash, remove very bottom of stem and slice thinly; Shiitake: remove woody stem and slice thinly; Oyster: tear into thin strips; and Chanterelle: remove any dirt with a damp towel, remove the very bottom of the stem and tear into strips.  Note:  Chanterelle mushrooms are very expensive about $19 per pound!  You can use any combination of mushrooms you like, or just use cremini alone.  I just wouldn't use white button mushrooms because they lack in flavor.
• I pan roasted the mushrooms in a large skillet with some olive oil and salt and pepper, but you can toss in olive oil and roast in the oven at 425 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
• Heat a large dutch oven on medium heat, add a little olive oil, leeks and saute for about five minutes until leeks soften.
• Add fresh thyme, garlic, carrots and celery and deglaze with 1/4 cup of dry sherry and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Next add vegetable stock, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes.  Then add roasted mushrooms and potatoes and cook for another 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
• Temper the cashew cream into the soup (remove some soup and place into a bowl, stir in the desired amount of cashew cream and add the mixture back into the soup).  Add the remaining dry sherry and heat soup through.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with chopped chives.  

Cashew Cream:

1 cup cashews (soaked for about 4 hours if you have time)
Water to blend

Method:

• Drain and rinse cashews and place in a blender.  Add enough water to cover cashews and blend on high until creamy.  You may need to strain the mixture if you are not using a high-powdered blender.