Just created a really good, quick mushroom soup

I was scrounging around for something light for lunch when I saw that big bag of dried shitakes I got at Costco last week. Hmmmm.... :think: Mushroom soup!

1. I heated up my cast iron skillet and added a tablespoon of butter. But you could use olive oil too.
   
   
2. When the butter melted, I added a couple of handfuls of the dried shitakes, a beef bullion cube, freshly ground pepper, and a little garlic powder.
   
   
3. I sauteed all the dry things together until the musrooms absorbed the butter and the pan began to smoke a little.
   
   
4. I deglazed the pan with some dry white wine, the end of a bottle of sauvignon blanc I had.
   
   
5. When the wine was mostly soaked up, I added 2 cups of water. I let the water and mushrooms come to a simmer.
   
   
6. I finished the soup off with a dollop of fresh cream. Not enough to make a cream of mushroom soup, but more like what you would use for a cup of coffee. Just enough to keep the soup from looking like a gruel or broth.

Best of all, these dried shitakes taste woodsy and earthy. Mushrooms, while I like them, are one of those things I'm alway slightly disappointed that they don't taste more of the earth. This soup does. :9 :9 :9

With the beef broth, it must have such a hardy flavor. Mushroom soup and toast is one of my comfort foods for winter.

and then I went to a restaurant nearby that opened up last year.

It's called the Presidential Grille, and it's in this little backwoods town about 20 mins away. The owner was head chef at the White House for presidents going back to at least Reagan, and through Clinton. He grew up in that town, which is why he opened it up there. He is not the cook there, although it's highly unlikely he'd have some half-assed chef. The menu has a mushroom soup, and although I'm just forcing myself to appreciate mushrooms now (for years, I avoided them), I heard good things about the soup and ordered it, and it was just frickin' delicious. Given that I'm learning to tolerate mushrooms to begin with, for me to really appreciate a mushroom soup says volumes about the soup.

I need to work more on my soups and sauces. The liquids are an area I don't spend enough time in.

makes a fantastic soup. You have to thicken it, but there were old Polish bapci (grandmother) all over my neighborhood growing up, and they made mushroom soups that I just wish I could fix.

If you get those big shitake mushrooms in the plastic container at Costco, I have a terrific Chinese recipe for them, braised in soy and wine and other stuff, and sprinkled with chopped green onions, served at room temperature. We eat them as snacks.

I gotta go looking for that recipe. Now I'm thinking of braised shitakes ......

if you don't mind OLL. That sounds delicious.

One of my favorite soups ever is Hot and Sour soup.

I got that big Costco bag and laughed at myself. :rofl: What is a Single person like me gonna do with a 2-gallon bag of dried mushrooms! :rofl: But they keep, so I'm sure I'll use them throughout the winter. :D

No, don't think you erred in buying those msushrooms. Not for a second. You will always have a stash of them around after you fix this recipe. It is simply wonderful:

(I always make 4X the recipe, by the way)

BRAISED CHINESE MUSHROOMS

¼ lb. Chinese dried mushrooms
1 Tb. peanut oil

Sauce:
1-1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 Tbs. DARK soy sauce (not the regular stuff – there’s a big difference)
2 Tbs. sugar
2 tsps. sesame oil
1 Tbs. rice wine (dry sherry in a pinch)

Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes or so, until soft. Squeeze the excess liquid from the mushrooms and remove and discard the stalks. Leave the mushrooms whole.

(I strain any dirt or debris out of the soaking water and save it for Sour and Hot Soup.)

Heat a wok, and add the oil.

Toss in the mushrooms, stir-fry for a few seconds.

Add the sauce, and turn down the heat.

Braise the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, maybe less, stirring continually, until the mushrooms have absorbed just about all the sauce.

Put them on a serving dish, garnish with tons of sliced scallions (we like onions and garlic in this house, so we use a lot – but you can use less).

Good hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

..... soak them for 15 or 20 minutes in boiling water (think of making mushroom tea). The flavor is incredibly intense and will form the backbone for the soup.

Our BJs Wholesale Club has them in approximately quart sized jars for about 3 bucks a jar. I use them in sauces, for risotto, for soups and stocks ..... they're pure fungus heaven!

I've never had a fresh porcini, but like all mushrooms, the flavor's much more intense when dried and then rehydrated. In fact, the water is maybe even better than the actual mushroom. Its tastes like mushrooms, but has an intensity of flavor that rivals something like beef. Amazing stuff.