WILD FOREST MUSHROOM SOUP

A gorgeous autumnal mushroom soup, rich in flavour with Guinness and a little bit decedent with a touch of cream and butter, wild forest mushrooms, porchini, shiitake and chestnut mushrooms give this soup a hearty fill.  I cannot stress enough never pick your own wild mushrooms, I always buy through a professional supplier and I like to use a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms for a more intense flavour.

This soup if left chunky makes a great mushroom ragu, just add another tin of tomatoes and serve over spaghetti with Parmesan, I make a double batch and that’s dinner done for another day.

Ingredients 

(Serves 4)

MUSHROOM STOCK

50g butter

50ml olive oil

1 Spanish onion diced

4 cloves garlic chopped

1 carrot diced

1 rib of celery diced

1/2 leek diced

1/3 cup dried wild forest mushrooms

1/3 cup dried porchini mushrooms

1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms

500ml hot boiled water

MUSHROOM SOUP

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 small onion diced

2 cloves garlic chopped

800g fresh chestnut mushrooms finely chopped

1 tbsp vegetable stock concentrate

1 can of Guinness

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 can Mutti popla tomatoes

Sea salt and black pepper

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Himalayan sea salt

White pepper

300ml double cream

This is a two layer cook, first make the mushroom stock, pour the boiling water over the dried mushrooms and leave to soak for 30 minutes, heat the oil and butter medium hot, add the rest of the ingredients and soften with out colouring for 10 minutes, add the soaking dried mushrooms and their stock, bring to a simmer for 10 minutes, reserve a couple of tablespoons of chunky mushrooms to one side then using a stick blender blitz the rest smooth.

In a new sauce pan heat the oil and butter, soften the onion and garlic, add the mushrooms and soften add the Guinness, stock, thyme and tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup, bring to a gentle simmer and cook medium low for 30 minutes, season with salt and white pepper to taste, blitz smooth.  Serve with a table of the reserved chunky mushrooms in the middle of your serving bowl and a swirl with double cream for extra richness.