Mushroom Soup
Author: Nicole
Ingredients
  • ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 20 ounces fresh mushrooms (such as chanterelles, shiitake, crimini, oyster), cleaned and sliced
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup brandy
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
  • 1 lemon
  • truffle oil, optional
Instructions
  1. Place porcini in a bowl and cover with 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Let soak for 30 minutes. Strain porcini leaving about 1 cup of water. Chop half of the porcini.
  2. In Dutch oven or soup pot (at least 4 quarts) heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and stir quickly for a minute.
  3. Add onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir for another minute or until the moisture is released from the mushrooms.
  4. Add brandy and cook for a minute.
  5. Add porcini (chopped and whole) along with soaking liquid. Cook for 20 minutes or until most of the moisture disappears.
  6. Add chicken stock. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.
  7. Decrease heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
  8. Remove half of the soup and purée it in a Vitamix, regular blender or food processor. Pour it back into the pot.
  9. Stir in parsley and mascarpone. Salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Before serving add a squeeze of lemon juice and an optional drizzle of truffle oil.
Notes
* Soup freezes well. Let cool and place in freezer-safe containers.
* Recipe doubles easily – use a 7 quart soup pot.
* I used a Vitamix to purée this soup, so it's smoother than it would be if you use an immersion hand blender, regular blender or food processor. Just in case your version doesn't look like the photo!
Recipe by Riegl Palate at https://www.rieglpalate.com/mushroom-soup/