Mushroom Soup à la gratinée

From Mushroom Soup à la gratinée

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

• One package dried porcini mushrooms, about 3/4 cup
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 portobello mushrooms, diced
• 4-5 large white button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked and stems discarded
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 lemon, zested
• slices of day-old italian bread, for the croutons
• 1/2 cup grated Boschetto al Tartufo cheese
• truffle oil, for drizzling (optional)

Preparation

In a bowl, pour boiling water over the porcini to cover. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add fresh mushrooms, stirring for one minute. Add the garlic, onion and thyme. Meanwhile, strain the porcini through a paper towel, reserving the liquid. Chop the porcini.

Back to the saucepan: when the liquid starts to come out of the fresh mushrooms, add the porcini and the soaking liquid. Cook on medium for about 20 minutes or until almost all of the liquid is gone.

Season to taste and add the stock. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove half of the soup to a bowl and blend with an immersion blender. Return the blended soup to the saucepan and mix everything together. Take your lemon zest and mix it with some salt and pepper. Toast the bread slices.

Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls. Sprinkle the lemon zest mixture into each and squirt a tiny bit of lemon juice into the soup. Top with your toasted bread slices and sprinkle on the cheese.

Heat under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and your croutons are nice and toasty. I wouldn’t recommend allowing the cheese to get too brown and bubbly, lest the truffle flavour is diminished.

Drizzle a few drops of truffle oil over the croutons (optional) and serve!

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