Creamy Mushroom Soup

Mushroom soup is a typical dish to eat in the autumn, but I figure it's still cold enough outside these days to have another go. Everyone in my family likes mushrooms and this soup has the added benefit of being quick and easy to make.

You can use whichever mushrooms you like, in this case I used some brown button mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms and some shitake mushrooms. 

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

600gr fresh wild mushrooms
30gr dried porcini
1 tablespoon of butter
1 red onion, chopped finely
5-6 twigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 cloves of garlic
1l vegetable stock
150 ml single cream 

Preparation: 

1. Carefully clean the mushrooms (never use water for this! In case they are dirty, just use a soft cloth to wipe them) and cut into rough chunks. Place the dried porcini in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let them sit for about 30-40 mins until soft. 

2. Gently fry the onion in a bit of butter, then add the mushrooms, garlic (I simply throw in the whole cloves) and the thyme. Turn the heat up slightly. After a few minutes you will see that the mushrooms begin to lose quite a bit of water, at this point add the drained porcini (keep the liquid!) and some salt and black pepper. Continue to fry until the mushrooms just start to brown. 

3. Now transfer everything to a large pot and add the porcini-liquid (poured through a sieve) and the stock. Cook at a light boil for about 30 minutes before mixing everything in a blender, adding the cream as you go. 

4. Finally season to taste with salt and pepper. In case the soup is still too thick, simply add a bit more water or stock. 

Note: in case you are making this for guests, I recommend you take a couple of handful of the chopped mushrooms and fry them in a separate pan. You can then use them to decorate your soup when serving.