Puree of Wild Mushroom Soup Recipe

The seasons are changing and Fall is upon us. Season change is one of the main reasons that we still live in Cleveland. I have to keep reminding myself that Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons when we are stuck in the doldrums of Winter or the skin soaking humidity of Summer. Although this Fall has been a little drenched, it’s still a great season. The temperatures are nice and it signals something in my brain that says it’s time to start working on more hearty meals. Braised meat, stews and soup recipes rise to the top of the list during this time of the year.

Soups are a wonderful thing. They take the edge off the chill outside. The smell that emanates throughout the house is delicious and comforting. They are relatively easy to make, certainly hard to mess up and most times don’t cost a whole ton of money to whip up. What’s not to love about a soup?

During the Fall, mushrooms always hit my menu in a big way. Soup is one of my preferred cooking styles for mushrooms because there are so many ways that it can be prepared. Today we will be pureeing the mushrooms and adding some goat cheese to develop a richness that is unique to this soup. I use both fresh and dried mushrooms to add more depth to the flavor of the soup, but you have to be careful about grit from the dried mushrooms. It adds a couple steps, but the flavor is definitely worth the time spent. This is a great soup for any Fall gathering and should be made the day before to let the flavors mix together. When reheating, stir frequently so as not to burn the bottom.

Makes enough for 8 servings of Wild Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 package dried mushrooms (about 4 ounces)

1.5 cups warm water

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large shallots, minced

6 cups fresh mushrooms (portabella, baby bella, crimini, button, white, shitake, oyster, hen of the woods- whatever you can find) cleaned and chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup Marsala wine

4 cups chicken stock, warming in a soup pot

4 ounces goat cheese

1/2 cup cream

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped fine

Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

2 crimini or other medium sized mushrooms, sliced thin and set aside

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped fine

To start, we need to start working with the dried mushrooms. I like to put the mushrooms in a colander right out of the package and give them a shake around. A lot of grit will fall out of the mushrooms by doing this. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and cover with the warm water. Let the mushrooms soak for a minimum of 15 minutes. If you are using dried morels, let them soak for at least an hour. After they have soaked, remove the mushrooms from the liquid and place back in the colander. Rinse under cold water. Remove the mushrooms from the colander, chop roughly and set aside. Take 2 paper towels and lay them in the bottom of the colander. Pour the mushroom water through the paper towel into another bowl. Repeat once more. Set the mushroom liquid aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the pan is hot, add the rehydrated mushrooms and the shallots. Cook for a couple minutes until the shallots are translucent. Add in the fresh mushrooms and cook for five to seven minutes. Add the garlic and stir. When most of the liquid has cooked off, add the Marsala wine and stir until the liquid has almost completely reduced. Add the reserved mushroom water to deglaze the pan. Transfer the mushrooms and liquid to the soup pot.

Bring the pot to a simmer and let it cook for about 30 minutes. Using an immersion blender, start to blend the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender and process the soup in batches. As you are blending, add in the goat cheese. Blend for about five minutes. Add in the cream. Blend for about three minutes. Add in the fresh tarragon. Blend for about a minute. Your soup should look creamy and delicious. Taste. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Let’s create a nice topping for when the soup is served. With the two reserved mushrooms, slice them very thin. Heat the 1/4 cup canola in a small skillet. Take out a plate and cover with paper towels. When the oil is hot, add the thinly sliced mushroom pieces one at a time to the oil. You don’t want more than 3 or 4 cooking at once. Cook for about 3 minutes and then place on the paper towel.

To serve, ladle the puree into warmed, shallow bowls. Float two of the fried mushrooms in the center of the bowl and sprinkle the fresh chopped parsley around the top. This soup will have a ton of depth and flavor. If you have any leftover, it won’t last long. At my house it didn’t last an extra day. This is the perfect soup for Fall weather. Enjoy.

Pureed Mushroom Soup topped with Fried Mushrooms. Photo by Scott Groth