The following is a recipe for one of my favourite soups. I came across the recipe in a cookery book by Delia Smith. I have tried it on numerous occasions. The whole family loves this soup.
The following would serve 8 people as a first course:
125 g wild mushrooms
25 g dried mushrooms
275 ml boiling water
50 g butter
2 medium carrots, chopped finely
2 celery stalks, chopped1 medium onion, chopped
125 g walnuts, ground
1 leek, washed and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tspn chopped fresh or 1/4 tspn dried thyme
1/4 tspn dried sage
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 litres hot water
2 tspn lemon juice
75 ml dry sherry
75 ml single cream
225 g wild mushrooms, keep 4 whole and chop the rest
salt and pepper to suit
Place the dried mushrooms in a jug with 275 ml boiling water and leave to soak for 30 mins. In a very large saucepan melt 50 g of butter, then add all the prepared vegetables and herbs, stir well over gentle heat until everything is coated with butter, then pour in the dried mushrooms and their soaking water, followed by 2 litres of hot water. Add some salt, bring to gentle simmer and keeping the heat low, let the soup barely simmer for 1 hour.
Place a colander over a large bowl and strain the soup into it. Remove the bayleaves and puree the veg with a little bit of the stock, then return this to the rest of the stock. Wipe out the soup saucepan and return it to the heat with 25 g of butter. Lightly sauté the chopped mushrooms for about 5 mins. Pour in the soup mixture, stir in the walnuts, season and cook gently for 10 mins. Slice wafer thin the remaining 4 mushrooms and stir in the cream, sherry and lemon juice and garnish with the raw mushrooms.
Enjoy.
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