porcini mushroom soup recipe
This is a warming and fragrant autumn soup, with the distinctive taste of porcini (ceps).
Serves 8 as a starter, 6 for lunch
- 25g dried porcini
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 50g butter
- 500g mushrooms (use large flat field mushrooms, or a mixture such as ceps, chanterelles and field mushrooms), coarsely chopped
- ground mace or freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- 600ml good chicken or vegetable stock
- large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 500ml whole milk
- 150ml double cream
- splash of brandy
- salt and black pepper
- truffle oil or lemon juice (optional)
- garlic bruschetta or crusty bread, to serve
Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and soak them in 300ml boiling water for 30 minutes.
In a large, heavy-based saucepan, fry the onion and garlic in the butter to soften but not brown. Drain the dried mushrooms, reserving the liquid in a separate bowl. Chop roughly and add to the onion mixture. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook together until soft. Add the mace or nutmeg to taste, and cook for another couple of minutes.
Pour in the hot stock and the reserved, sieved porcini liquor and bring to the boil. Add half the parsley. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Liquidise the soup and return to a clean pan. Season well. (When cool, you can freeze the mixture here – before you add the milk and cream – if you want to keep it for later.)
Add the milk. Bring gently to the boil, then simmer for a further 10 minutes. Take off the heat and add the cream, brandy and seasoning to taste. Scatter over the rest of the parsley. The soup can be reheated gently, but do not boil once the cream has been added.
Add a little truffle oil or lemon juice for extra flavour, and serve with garlic bruschetta or crusty bread.
This recipes appears on p253 of Sarah's Food for Friends and Family cookbook.