creamless hearty mushroom soup

I love mushrooms. They are delicious, nutritious, full of anti-oxidents and low in calories. They are also versatile, you can fry, grill, saute, steam etc... Not to forget, there is such a wide variety out there that there is bound to be a species that appeal to the individual. However, much can be said about canned mushroom soup.... I've not touch those for a long time now since I've discovered how easy it is to create a healthy yummilious version at home.

Hearty mushroom soup (serves 4-6)

15g butter
1 small yellow onion diced
3 cloves of garlic diced
1 bay leaf
750g mushrooms diced - portobello, brown button and oyster
5 porcinin/shitake mushrooms diced
350ml chicken stock
100ml milk

Heat butter in large skillet.
Saute onion & garlic at low heat for 10minutes.
Add mushrooms into pan and fry at high heat for about 15minutes. The mushrooms will release liquid into the pan as they cook.
Turn off the heat and blend all the contents in the pan.
Add chicken stock and bay leaf to blended mushrooms and bring in to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and add milk.
Stir well to combine.
Serve warm.

Garnish options: fresh cream, truffle oil, grilled mushrooms (by cooking mushrooms in clean dry skillet till all the moisture has been released)

Mushroom risotto

Risotto is Italian rice cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. It is not difficult to make risotto at home but it IS tedious, usually entailing standing in front of the stove for a good 30-40 minutes.


Mushroom risotto (serves 4)

1.5cup of Carnaroli rice
400ml chicken stock
300ml hot water
5 dried mushrooms
200g mixed mushrooms thinly sliced - portobelllo, shitake, brown button
30g butter
1 medium onion diced
5 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup cognac/dry white wine

Soak dried mushrooms in hot water for 10 minutes. Snip off the stems using a pair of kitchen shears. Sieve the mushroom water into the pot containing chicken stock. Add mushroom stems to the pot. Dice the dried mushroom caps. Heat chicken-mushroom stock to slow simmer.

Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan. Saute onion at low heat for 5 minutes. Do not brown the onions. Add garlic and dried mushrooms to pan. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add fresh mushrooms into pan and saute for another 3 minutes.

Add rice (do not wash the rice) to pan. Saute at medium high heat for at least 2-3 minutes, till rice turns translucent. Add cognac/wine to pan. Continue to saute at medium heat till all the wine has evaporated.

Bring the pan to low heat and add a ladle of stock to rice mixture in pan, stirring often. Add another ladle of stock when the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Continue adding ladle by ladle till rice is al dente. This will take around 20-25 minutes, depending on type of rice used. Stirring helps release the starch from the rice, making the risotto creamy.

Season with (truffle) salt and pepper when rice is done. Turn off the heat and add shaved Parmesan cheese to risotto. Cover the pan for 2-3 minutes. Stir and serve immediately.

The risotto was al dente and creamy, not too wet. However, I feel that the flavor of the mushroom could be stronger, may be Porcini mushrooms will help. O wells, till next time.