1.5cupsaborted entoloma mushroomshalved if large, left whole if small
2quartschicken or vegetable brothyou could use water in a pinch
4ozbacondiced. (lightly freeze bacon to make it easier to cut)
2cupspeeled russet potatodiced ½ inch
1cuptomato sauceyou could use canned, or just puree some fresh
1cupfresh sweet corn
½cupcelerydiced ¼ inch
1cuponiondiced ¼ inch
2large red sweet peppersseeds removed and diced ½ inch
4small cloves of garlicthinly sliced
½cupwhite wine
Pinchof crushed red pepper flakesor dashes of your favorite hot sauce
Kosher salt
tablespoonchopped fresh cilantro or oregano
Extra virgin olive or suflower oil for garnishingoptional
Instructions
Clean the mushrooms, if they are dirty enough to warrant washing in water, allow them to air dry on some towels for 30 minutes or so.
In a sauce pot with high sides, or a pasta pot, slowly render the bacon until it is crisp and has released it's fat. Remove ½ of the bacon fat, leaving the rest in the pan to cook the mushrooms. Increase the heat to high and add the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they have released their juice and have taken on some color, about 5 minutes. If your mushrooms were wet, this will take longer.
Season the mushrooms with ½ teaspoon of salt, then add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Next add the celery, onion, and peppers and cook until they have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it has evaporated.
Next add the potatoes, corn, chicken or vegetable stock and the tomato sauce, bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Season the soup with salt to taste, it should also be a tiny bit spicy, so add another dash of hot sauce if it needs it. If you made the soup with water, check the seasoning a second time. Finally add the fresh cilantro and serve. Garnishing with a bit of fruity olive oil, and serve with crusty bread and a green salad.
Notes
Substitutions
There's a lot of great mushrooms you could use here besides the lobsters and entolomas, but it's a great way to combine the lobster and shrimp of the woods. Lactarius and crunchy milk caps are good too. Honey mushrooms love the flavors of peppers and tomatoes too, and will thicken the soup like okra.