Wild Mushroom Soup
Wild Mushroom Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Course: Comfort, Fall, Healthy, Soup, Vegetarian, Winter
Servings: 4 people
- 1 ounce dried wild mushrooms
- 6 cups homemade chicken stock
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 pounds (3 large) portobello mushrooms, stems discarded, caps chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 salt
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1 cup finely chopped leek (white and pale-green parts only)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme (dried or fresh)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup medium-dry Madeira wine
- 2 Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
In a strainer under cold water, rinse the dried mushrooms. In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of the chicken stock to a boil. Add the rinsed mushrooms, remove from the heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is cool and the mushrooms reconstituted.
With a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from the liquid, pressing as much of the liquid out of them and back into the pan as possible; finely chop the mushrooms. Let the liquid settle, then pour off and reserve the clear portion; there should be about 1 1/2 cups. Discard the sandy residue.
In a 5-quart pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the portobellos and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have rendered their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped wild mushrooms, onion, carrot, leek, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Lower the heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are becoming tender, about 10 minutes more. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables as they become more and more tender, about 10 minutes. Add the Madeira, raise the heat to high and cook, tossing and stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 4 cups of chicken stock, the reserved mushroom liquid and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender and the soup has reduced to 6 cups, about 30 minutes.
Cool slightly, then transfer half the soup to a food processor and puree, or force it through the medium blade of a food mill. Return the puree to the soup pan and stir. (The soup can be prepared to this point up to 3 days in advance. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate.)
In a medium pot over low heat, bring the soup to a simmer. Stir in the parsley and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot.