Prep. Time 20′    Cooking Time 25′     Serves 5

Ingredients

  • ½ cup dried wild mushrooms such as porcini
  • 5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 500gr fresh picked mushrooms or fresh Portobello
  • 200gr pre-cooked chestnuts
  • 2 tbsp. cognac
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • ½ cup fresh cream
  • 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
  • Salt, pepper
  • Some chopped chives (to serve)
  • Extra virgin olive oil (to serve)

Instructions

  1. Rinse the porcini in cold water.
  2. Put in a bowl with 1 ½ cups of warm water.
  3. Cover the bowl and let mushrooms soak for 15 minutes.
  4. Clean and peel the fresh mushrooms. Remove stems and wipe down with a moist towel. Cut into thin slices.
  5. In a pot, heat the olive oil over a medium heat and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to look shiny.
  6. Add the fresh mushrooms, garlic, and chestnuts.
  7. Drain the soaking mushrooms, reserving the water, and add to the pot.
  8. Pass the water through a strainer and discard the residue (approximately the last half cup).
  9. Keep stirring the mushrooms until they have cooked down.
  10. Reserve 2 tbsp. of mushrooms for the garnish and pour in the cognac.
  11. Cover and simmer on a medium heat for about 20 minutes.
  12. Add the cream, ground nutmeg and season.
  13. Stir well and check the thickness of the soup.
  14. Garnish every bowl with some of the reserved sautéed mushrooms, chopped chives, a few droplets of olive oil, and freshly ground pepper.

Enjoy!

Source: Argiro Barbarigou