Mushroom Soup

Jabez Bligh - Mushrooms

Jabez Bligh (act 1863 - 1889)  was a British artist best known for his still life works depicting foraged fruit and vegetables in the landscape.

Suggested by the paintings of Jabez Bligh, this rustic soup of woodland funghi reflects the richness of the artist's palette. Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small handful dried porcini
• olive oil
• 600g mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 handful fresh thyme
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 litre (4 ½ cups) chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
• 1 lemon
• truffle oil (optional) 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the porcini in a small bowl (glass is best) and add boiling water to cover. Leave to soak for at least ten minutes or until satisfyingly reconstituted. Strain, keeping the soaking liquid. Chop half the porcini and leave half whole. Strain the soaking liquid to remove any grit.
2. Heat a large, deep pan or casserole dish, two tablespoons of olive oil and the mixed mushrooms.
3. Stir around constantly for one minute so they don’t burn or stick, then add the garlic, onion thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Keep gently stirring.
4. After about a minute, you should notice moisture coming out of the mushrooms. Add the porcini, then the strained soaking liquid. Cook for around 20 minutes until most of the moisture has disappeared.
5. Season to taste, then add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for another 20 minutes.
6. Remove half the soup from the pan and puree it – a hand blender works best.
7. Put the puree back into the pan, add parsley, mascarpone (if using) and season again.

 
Serving suggestions:

• Place small slices of crostini in the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup over
• Keep a few of the best looking mixed mushrooms aside, sauté quickly in butter then sprinkle over the top of the soup
• Drip a couple of drops of truffle oil into the centre of the soup just before serving