← Nouns Cooking · Soup Pot

Ingredients

• 15 g Dried porcini mushrooms
• 300 ml boiling water
• 50 g Butter
• 4 Shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 500 g mixed mushrooms (chestnut, oyster, shiitake), roughly chopped
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 100 ml dry white wine (optional)
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• 150 ml Double (heavy) cream
• 1 tbsp Chives, snipped, to serve
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Pour the boiling water over the porcini and leave to soak for 15 min. Lift them out, chop them, and keep the soaking liquid, leaving any grit behind in the bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and soften the shallots for 5 min.
3. Turn the heat up to high, add the fresh mushrooms and thyme and cook for 8–10 min, stirring often, until the liquid they release has gone and they are well browned. That browning is where the flavour comes from.
4. Stir in the garlic and flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine, if using, and let it bubble away almost completely.
5. Slowly stir in the stock, the porcini and their soaking liquid. Simmer for 15 min.
6. Pick out the thyme stalks. Blend about half the soup and stir it back in, so it is creamy with some texture. Stir in the cream, heat through without boiling and season with salt and pepper. Scatter with chives.

Tips

• Crowding the pan makes mushrooms steam instead of brown; cook them in two batches if your pot is small. Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours and reheat until piping hot.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Once Upon a Chef BBC Good Food RecipeTin Eats