Wild Mushrooms And Chestnut Soup

 

Wild mushrooms are rare to find in desert California, so imagine my how happy I was when I saw them in of all places in Costco. I grabbed 2 boxes for three recipes I planned on making this season. This is he first. So get ready to be spammed with wild mushrooms recipe y’all.

This mushroom soup is very similar to the other mushroom soup I have in the Mains section of my blog. To this soup however, I’ve added chestnuts, which gives it a creamy rich flavor and it’s lighter in texture yet full of  mushroomy umami. Perfect as an appetizer, a light dinner or lunch.

 

Ingredients

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter or olive oil
• 200 grams about 6 oz cremini or portobello mushrooms (if using portobellos remove the black fur on the inside), thinly sliced
• 1medium leek, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1 medium carrot, thinly slice
• 1 teaspoon dried minced thyme
• a small pinch of nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups peeled roasted vacuum-packed chestnuts unsweetened
• 3 cups mushroom or vegetable broth
• seasalt
• Freshly ground black pepper generous amounts
• 1 tablespoon truffle infused extra-virgin olive oil optional but highly recommended
• 2 ounces fresh chanterelles or use shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

Heres how

1. In a heatproof bowl, soak the dried porcini in the boiling water until softened, 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms. Strain the liquid into a bowl through a sieve lined with a moistened paper towel. Rinse the porcini to remove any remaining dirt and grit and finely chop.
2. In a saucepan, warm the oil. Add the chopped porcini, cremini or portobello mushrooms, leeks, carrot, celery and thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are browned, 15 minutes.
3. Add the chestnuts and stock and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add one cup of the strained porcini soaking liquid and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the chestnuts are very tender, 20 minutes.
4. Let it cool slightly. Puree in a blender in batches and keep warm.
5. In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the chanterelles or shiitake, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the sautéed chanterelles and a thin drizzle of truffle flavored oil.