A simple broth with winter chanterelles, parsley and small pasta is a nectar of the gods you can't buy in stores, and probably my all-time favorite winter chanterelle recipe.
Soup: the perfect use for small chanterelles
The tiny mushrooms pictured in this post (Craterellus ignicolor) are not sold commercially to my knowledge, and, with their size, I doubt they will be. All the mushrooms in the picture below have caps the size of a dime-a perfect size for soup.
But, the west coast species, (Craterellus tubaeformis), does get sold to chefs in restaurants, but on the west coast they fruit in larger numbers, and are sometimes sold commercially as the mushrooms are generally much larger.
If the winter chanterelles you gather or purchase are larger than can fit on a spoon, make sure to cut them into bite sized pieces for this recipe.
Small Mushrooms, Big Flavor
A handful of funnel chanterelles here and there isn't worth writing home about. But, big things come in small packages and these mushrooms were born for soup.
How to Make It
This is one of the easiest soups you'll ever make and one of the best tasting. Gather plenty of winter chanterelles, preferably small ones. Heat the mushrooms up in chicken broth, add some chopped parsley and a handful of pasta, and eat. Taste it and believe. Here's some tips on making the best version, or adapting it at your house.
- Other small, edible mushrooms are great here. Black trumpet mushrooms and small golden chanterelles would also be very good.
- The amount of winter chanterelles here might seem a little much for 2 cups of broth, but it's necessary to get the full effect of their flavor. When in doubt, use more, not less, although with trumpets you need to worry about their bitterness.
- Don't get too creative. This is just a bunch of small mushrooms cooked in broth, with some tiny noodles. It's clean, and pure. It doesn't need anything, but you can add some herbs like chopped tarragon or chives mixed with the parsley if you have some.
Winter Chanterelle Broth with Pasta
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces yellowfoot chanterelles trimmed and cleaned (two very generous handfuls)
- 2 cups of stock or broth preferably homemade from poultry or vegetables
- Fresh whole Italian parsley leaves a small handful to garnish
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil or lard
- ¼ cup finely diced or chopped scallion or young onion
- ½ cup cooked tiny pasta such as orzo, rings, or acini de pepe
Instructions
- Sweat the onion in the oil for a few minutes until translucent, do not allow it to color. Add the broth and chanterelles and simmer for a few minutes, covered, until the mushrooms are wilted and have flavored the broth.
- Finally add the cooked pasta, heat through, double check the seasoning for salt and adjust as needed.
- Toss in a few whole leaves of parsley just before serving.
Sam Schaperow
Is the flavor at all comparable to cinnabar chanterelles?
Alan Bergo
Cinnabars and yellowfeet are both excellent, and interchangeable, thanks for mentioning. You could definitely substitute cinnabars here, the smaller the better. I have two species near me, one very small one and one with a pronounced, thick white stem, I would prefer the smaller ones for this.
Marla Micoley
That looks amazing!! Can’t wait to try it.
Kathleen Rodgers
This looks divine ! If we ever get rain again, we get miniature yellow chants that grown with the cinnabar s. I will have to try this !
Cherie
I'm going to make this today, I've been out in the woods yesterday and have come back with a large basketful of some ignicolor but mostly tuberformis. thank you
Alan Bergo
Cherie, enjoy, this is one of the best things I've ever made with them. Let me know if it works out for you. A
Genevieve
So so good. We have a large patch of yellowfoots close by (we live in central Vancouver island). We have made this soup and an Asian-inspired miso version with soba noodles.
So delicious! The flavour these mushrooms impart is amazing.
Alan Bergo
Glad you liked it. The miso version sounds excellent.
Dave Lenz
So simple, but so much flavor. I found a large patch of yellowfoot this past weekend. I used some chanterelle water I had saved from cooking some to freeze for broth. I diluted it so it wouldn’t overwhelm the yellowfoot flavor. Really great!
Alan Bergo
Glad it worked for you Dave. I really like this one.
Cousin ddie
Thank you for this recipe,, found some yellowfoot today.. After a quick internet search for a recipe, landed here.. My 12 year old son and I both enjoyed this little soup. He's not a real big fan of mushrooms so that's saying a lot.. I find their taste a little stronger than golden chanterelles, but still palatable.
Alan Bergo
Yes I made this on a whim one day and I just loved it.
Brian G
We laid into a good batch yesterday, mixes with chanterelles and hedge hogs. We’ve never really found a good simple recipe for them. This was outstanding and really simple. We had some turkey/chicken broth from our Christmas dinner. It was amazing how the yellow foots turned it into a delicious mushroom broth.
Alan Bergo
Thanks Brian. Yes, this is so simple and really never fails to surprise me with how much the mushroom flavor comes through. Just a great way to use winter chanterelles.