The End of “His & Hers” Mushroom Soup Recipes

Much of our locally harvested mushrooms end up in mushroom soup. We have two favorite recipes, which have become a sort of “his & hers” affair, in that I introduced us to one recipe, Michelle introduced us to the other.

The other day I decided I should learn “Michelle’s” recipe. I’m glad I did—it turns out to be even easier than “mine,” the Riversong Lodge’s wild mushroom barley soup (paid link).

French mushroom soup

French mushroom soup with king boletes and garden fresh ingredients (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

We got the recipe for French Mushroom Soup from Nickki and David Goldbeck’s American Wholefoods Cuisine (paid link) (ask your local, independent bookstore) but Michelle has modified it somewhat. Here’s her version:

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French Mushroom Soup

Olive Oil

3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups fresh, 2 cups dried, reconstituted. Save drained liquid as broth)

1/4-1/2 cup onion

1 clove garlic

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

generous grind of pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups vegetable broth

2 slices whole wheat bread

In a 2 quart pot or Dutch oven, dry sauté mushrooms for about 5 minutes until liquid runs freely. Add a generous sprinkle of olive oil, add garlic, onion, nutmeg, parsley, pepper, and salt. Cook 1 minute longer.

Add broth and bread, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Optional: Coarse-chop soup in a blender or food processor. Reheat if necessary before serving.

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I made this out of a couple of fresh king boletes (one of which accounted for all 4 cups required; a smaller one added a bit extra) and onion, garlic, and parsley minutes fresh from our garden. Instead of bread slices, I used some sourdough biscuits Michelle made a few days ago. The result, a thick mushroom stew, is just the thing for these cool, early autumn days here on the “homestead.”

I still like the barley mushroom soup, but I’m really glad I tried this recipe and learned how fast and easy it is. It’ll be nice to have the quicker option when it serves our needs best.

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