Monday, February 12, 2007

Fungi and Viruses



walking the path
pine needles shift
oh...a mushroom

I'm home today with the virus that seems to have been lingering around at work so I'm drinking green tea, cuddling in a blanket,reading and resting. This photo was taken in the Golden Gate Park gardens.

Since tea and soup seem to be on the menu today and I love anything mushroom, here's a great recipe adapted from my favorite irreverent chef Anthony Bourdain:

Mushroom Soup


Ingredients
4 tbsp butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
11 ozs Portabella mushrooms
1 oz dried mushrooms reconstituted (reserve the liquid)
4 cups light chicken stock or broth
1 sprig of flat parsley
Salt and pepper
2 ozs high-quality sherry
Drizzle of black truffle oil

Equipment
Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Blender

Method
In the medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, then add both mushrooms and the remaining butter. Let the mixture sweat for about 8 minutes, taking care that the onion doesn't take on any brown color. Stir in the chicken stock, reconstituted mushroom liquid and the parsley and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.

After an hour, remove the parsley and discard. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and carefully blend at high speed until smooth.

When blended, return the mix to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and bring up to a simmer again. Add the sherry, mix well, and serve immediately with a little black truffle oil drizzled on top of each serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Like most soups this is even better the next day. Also rosemary croutons sprinkled on top are yummy.




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