Mushroom Soup

Mushroom Soup

1 cup dried porcini mushrooms

6-7 cups chicken broth cups, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

6 ounces shitake mushrooms, stemmed, chopped

6 ounces portobello mushrooms, stemmed, chopped

6 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed, chopped

1 cup shallots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup dry marsala

2 sprigs thyme, leaves chopped stems discarded

2 sprigs tarragon, leaves chopped stems discarded

½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

salt and black pepper to taste

For serving the soup:

lemon zest shavings of parmesan thinly sliced chives or finely chopped Italian parsley

Reserved mushrooms from cooking the soup Your favorite croutons

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a pot. Cover with 4 cups of chicken stock. Heat to a simmer until the mushrooms reconstitute and are tender. Strain the broth and place the broth in a measuring bowl or measuring cup. Add chicken stock to the porcini broth until it equals about 6 cups. Reserve the reconstituted mushrooms and finely chop them for garnish. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter foams. Add the raw mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture. Add the shallots and garlic, season with a little salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove a large spoonful or two of the mushrooms from the pan and set aside for later. Add the flour to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the dry marsala, reduce almost all of the way down. Add the thyme and tarragon and mushroom-chicken stock mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup until smooth. In the same pot you cooked the soup, heat the heavy cream. When hot, add the pureed soup and stir in the chopped parsley. Taste for seasoning and adjust if desired. You can add an additional ½ cup of the chicken stock if you’d like your soup to be a little thinner. Add the cooked mushrooms and porcinis into the soup.

Serve with your favorite toppings.