A rich Italian soup made from fresh or dried mushrooms. It can be served pureed or rustic, and garnished with a number of different ingredients depending on how you feel. Makes about 6 cups.
Soak the dried mushrooms in the stock for water for 30 minutes. Stir vigorously once or twice as they soak to remove any dirt. Drain the mushrooms, squeezing liquid back into the bowl. Finely chop the mushrooms and reserve them separately from the stock.
Soup
Meanwhile, Cut the onion, celery, leek and shallot into ½ inch pieces. Crush the garlic with the back of a knife, peel and roughly chop. Pulse the vegetables in a food processor until finely chopped.
In a 3 quart soup pot, sweat the pancetta in two tablespoons of oil until the fat has released and the pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped vegetables, stir, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, tomato paste and potatoes, stir, and cook 5 minutes more.
Add the sherry and reduce by half, then add the stock and herbs. Be careful to leave any dirt from the mushrooms in the bottom of the stock behind. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
Taste and adjust the seasoning for salt until it tastes good to you.
Serving with Pasta or Croutons
Add cooked small pasta and garnish with parmesan, Italian parsley and extra virgin olive oil.
Fry croutons in butter and spoon them on the soup and it becomes mushroom minestrone.
Serving Pureed
Puree the soup until smooth in a blender. Garnish with a spoonful of crème fraiche, fried dried mushrooms and chives.
Video
Notes
Onions
You can mix and match your alliums and onions. Omit the shallot or leek, etc.
Cooking liquid
You can make this with all stock, only water, or a mix. Sometimes I use a 32 oz box of broth and 1-2 cups of water.
Fungi
You can use fresh mushrooms, dried mushrooms, or a combination of both. It will always taste better when you use a blend of different mushrooms.Chop fresh mushrooms and pulse in a food processor until finely minced. If you want to puree the soup, roast the mushrooms whole for extra flavor. Here are proportions I would use:Only dried mushrooms1.5 oz dried mushrooms, a large mix.Only fresh mushrooms10 oz fresh mushrooms.Fresh and dried½ oz dried Italian porcini, 8 oz white button or other another cultivated variety, Creamy mushroom soup Substitute 1 cup heavy whipping cream for 1 cup of the stock.