Wild Mushroom Soup

By LaLaCooks

Notes

The soup is best when made with several varieties of fresh wild mushrooms (porcini, shiitake, chanterelle, hen-of-the-woods, etc.), but even a single variety will produce an excellent soup. Other types of dried mushrooms may be substituted for the dried porcini specified, but porcini are preferable.

Ingredients

• 8 pieces (2/5 ounce) dried porcini mushrooms
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 slices bacon, cbopped fine
• 1 medium onion, cbopped
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled
• 2 medium carrots, whole
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 2 ½ quarts Chicken Stock
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from cookstr.com

Preparation

Step 1

In 1½ cups of warm water, presoak the dried porcini about 20 minutes, until softened. Drain, reserving all but the last 2 teaspoons of the steeping liquid (to avoid unwanted sediments), remove and rinse the softened porcini.

In a 5-quart pot, heat 5 tablespoons olive oil, add the bacon and onion, and sauté until translucent. Add the potatoes, carrots, and shallot, and cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the stock, drained porcini, reserved soaking liquid, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep on low boil about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

To prepare the fresh wild mushrooms, heat the olive oil in the large skillet and sauté them in batches, over medium-high heat, until all water has evaporated, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the mushrooms to the soup pot and simmer 30 minutes, skimming occasionally. Add the pepper and parsley, and serve piping hot.