EASY MUSHROOM SOUP
Ingredients
- 20g/¾oz dried wild or porcini mushrooms
- 10g/â…“oz butter
- 2 shallots or 1 leek
- finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- sliced
- 500g/1lb 2oz fresh mushrooms
- a mixture of Portobello
- chestnut
- button and wild mushrooms
- in any combination you like
- 700ml/1¼ pint chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 large sprig thyme
- 25ml/1fl oz sherry or marsala or juice of ½ lemon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- to serve
Directions
- Measure 150ml/5fl oz just-boiled water and pour it over the dried mushrooms in a bowl. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Finely chop the shallots or leek
- and add to the saucepan. Cover and leave to cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and fresh mushrooms to the pan. Turn up the heat and cook for a couple of minutes until the mushrooms are glossy.
- Strain off the soaking mushrooms
- reserving the liquor. Finely chop the soaked mushrooms and add to the pan. Pour in the reserved liquor and the stock
- then add the thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to the boil
- then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sherry
- marsala or lemon juice. Remove the sprig of thyme
- then cool slightly and carefully blend the soup using a hand-blender. It should be a lovely rich brown colour. Serve immediately topped with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

