Mushroom soup recipes anyone?

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

Finally cooled off here and we love soup on a rainy day. I did roasted butternut squash soup w/ veggie stock and crispy sage and also a mushroom soup. I love mushroom soup and it is nigh impossible to get a decent bowl anywhere. Here is how I do it for about 4-6 servings.

Take 2 oz of a variety of dried mushrooms and steep in almost boiling water for 30-45 minutes. Say 8 cups of water. Strain and discard mushrooms. I like to cut the mushroom stock with some veggie stock that I prepare on the side(standard mirepoix with garlic, bay, and parsley), and a little chicken stock, but very little. Season to taste. I then sauté 8oz of criminis and 8oz of white mushrooms, when the moisture is released and evaporated add a good sprig of thyme. Once browned slightly, remove the thyme and puree the mushrooms into the stock which will give it a light creamy texture. With the same pan add a mixture of shitakes, chanterelles, and other fresh wild varieties (shitakes are not wild actually). Again once moisture is released add thyme. Add sauté shrooms to stock. Serve with a hearty multigrain loaf, or alternatively make some croutons with the multigrain loaf and place atop.

The reason I like this recipe is you get layers of mushroom flavor. The steeping liquid retains a strong woody flavor, the pureed criminis and whites add body and a mild mushroom sweetness from the roasting, and the fresh sautéed wild mushrooms add complexity and texture. It is a great bowl of soup for a rustic glass of burgundy or lean cali Pinot.

2

I just got a load of chanterelles and made some soup. Softened half an onion in leftover shallot/parsley butter then added about 10-12 oz chanterelles which had been parboiled for 30 seconds chopped and sautéed until softened. Homemade chicken stock (1 quart) added plus bouquet garni of thyme, black pepper and bay leaf and let simmer for 1 hour. Got the stick blender and used til soup with still some texture. Adjusted s and p and added some sherry and done.

A dinner guest suddenly appeared and so made israelis couscous which I strained some soup and used the liquid to precook the couscous followed by a longer steam with the solids and made a side dish as well. Delicious and like a good risotto, finished with some grated parmesan. Mike

3

This is my favorite, from Heston Blumenthal’s cookbook. Great cookbook!

I have it all typed out because so many people have asked for it:

Mushroom soup

Serves 4

For the mushroom powder

10g Dried shiitake mushroom
10g Dried porcini mushroom

For the soup

1.5 kg vegetable stock
160g Unsalted butter
2 Onions, peeled and finely sliced
1 Small potato, peeled and finely sliced
2 Leeks, white part only cleaned and finely sliced
800g Button mushrooms, finely sliced
50g Dry white vermouth
80g Double cream
40g semi-skimmed milk
Salt and black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 150C.

Roast the dried mushrooms for the mushroom powder on a baking tray for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Blitz the dried mushroom in a spice grinder or food processor and pass the powder through a fine sieve. Keep in an airtight container until ready to use.

To start the soup, gently heat the vegetable stock in a saucepan.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and sweat the potato and onions without letting them colour (approximately 10 minutes). add the leeks and mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften (approximately 15 minutes).

Turn the heat up to a high and add the vermouth to the mushroom mixture. Allow it to reduce until almost all Of the liquid has disappeared.

Pour the vegetable stock into the mushroom pan and add the double cream and milk. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and blitz in a blender until completely smooth.

Pass through a fine sieve and stir salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. With a hand blender, aerate the soup for 60 seconds to make it light and frothy.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with a a little mushrooms powder just before serving.

4

Oh - semi-skimmed milk is basically 2%, I use the English Double Devon Cream which is not ideal, if you have access to real double cream that would be preferable.

I can report that a friend modified the recipe by using whole milk instead of 2% and double cream, white wine instead of vermouth and fennel instead of onion. He complained that the soup wasn’t as good.