RECIPE FOR CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add a third of the mushrooms to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until dark golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove them from the pot and reserve for serving.
• In the same pot, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Reduce the heat to medium and, when the butter has melted, add the rest of the mushrooms, along with the garlic, celery, thyme and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, allowing the flour to cook.
• Slowly pour in the sherry, stirring all the time, then slowly add the stock. Keep stirring to reduce the likelihood of lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Using an immersion blender, puree until the mushrooms are mostly broken up into small barley-sized bits. (NOTE: You may use a blender, though allow the soup to cool until warm before pureeing.) Add the cream and heat until the pot is simmering. Add the balsamic, then taste and adjust the seasonings.
• Serve warm in bowls with the reserved mushrooms on top. Garnish with parsley and crusty chunks of warm bread.

Steps:

• 1. Place the porcini in a small dish, add boiling water just to cover, and leave to soak. Get a large casserole-type pan nice and hot, then add a good couple of lugs of olive oil and your fresh mushrooms. Stir around very quickly for a minute, then add your garlic, onion and thyme and a small amount of seasoning. After about a minute you'll probably notice moisture cooking out of the mushrooms and at this point add half of your porcini, chopped up, and the rest left whole. Strain the soaking liquid to remove any grit, and add it to the pan. Carry on cooking for about 20 minutes until most of the moisture disappears.
  2. Season to taste, and add your stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes. I usually remove half the soup from the pan and whiz it up to a purée at this point, then pour it back in, adding the parsley and mascarpone, and seasoning carefully to taste.
  3. You can serve this soup as you like, but there are a few things to remember when finishing it off. Mix together a pinch of salt and pepper with the zest of one lemon and the juice of half of it, then spoon a little of this into the middle of the soup. When you go to eat it, stir it in and it gives a wonderful flavour. Other things you can consider are little slices of grilled crostini put into the bottom of the bowls before the soup is poured over. Or you could even quickly fry some nice-looking mushrooms – like girolles, chanterelles or oysters – and sprinkle these on top of the soup. If I was going to use truffle oil, then I would use it on its own – a few drips on the top just before serving. • adapted from Jamie's Dinners