WILD MUSHROOM & WALNUT SOUP
Walnuts are at their best at Christmas time and, together with some dried wild mushrooms, can be used to make an unusual soup for a dinner party or a warming lunch or supper snack with some good cheese to follow.
Serves 8
25g (1oz) dried porcini mushrooms 275ml (9½fl oz) boiling water 50g (1¾oz) butter 110g (4oz) dark-gilled mushrooms, roughly chopped 2 medium carrots, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 1 leek, washed and chopped 2 bay leaves 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2ltr (3½pt) vegetable stock (made with bouillon)
To finish
225g (8oz) small open-cap mushrooms, keep 4 whole and chop the rest finely 25g (1oz) butter 110g (4oz) walnuts, ground in a nut mill or food processor 75ml (2½fl oz) single cream 75ml (2½fl oz) dry sherry 1 dessertspoon lemon juice Seasoning First place the dried mushrooms in a jug with 275ml (9½fl oz) boiling water and leave them to soak for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the 50g (1¾oz) butter, then add all the prepared vegetables, herbs and garlic, stir well over a gentle heat until everything is glistening with a coating of butter, then pour in the dried mushrooms and their soaking water, followed by 2ltr (3½pt) of hot stock.
Then bring up to a gentle simmer and, keeping the heat low, let the soup barely simmer for 1 hour. After that, place a colander over a large bowl and strain the soup into it.
Remove the bay leaves, and purée the vegetables with a little bit of the stock in a liquidiser or processor, then return this to the rest of the stock and whisk to a smooth consistency. Now wipe out the soup saucepan with some kitchen paper and return it to the heat with the 25g (1oz) butter. Lightly sauté the chopped mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
After that, pour in the soup mixture, stir in the ground walnuts and some seasoning, and let it continue cooking gently for 10 minutes.
While that’s happening, use your sharpest knife to slice the 4 reserved whole mushrooms into wafer-thin slices for a garnish.
When you are ready to serve the soup, stir in the cream, sherry and lemon juice and serve piping hot with the slices of raw mushroom floating on top and if you like a few croutons.