Three Mushroom and Thyme Soup

By Rose Glover
Yield 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chestnut mushrooms, quartered
• 1 1/2 cups portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms (or 1 cup fresh shititake, if you can get them)
• 2 leeks, sliced and diced (white and light parts only)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 -5 cups vegetable stock
• 6 sprigs thyme
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Parsley to garnish (optional)
• Optional: Slice 5 – 6 chestnut mushrooms and fry with olive oil in a frying pan for 3-4 minutes until cooked through and slightly crispy. Serve these on top of the soup as an extra garnish.

Method:

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for at least 10 minutes, do not discard the water after use (if using fresh shiitake, simply follow the same guidelines as the other mushrooms, below).
2. Sauté the leeks, onions, thyme sprigs, garlic and a good pinch of salt with some olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes, until transparent.
3. Add all the mushrooms (if using dried mushrooms, be sure not to discard the soaking water and use this in addition to the stock to add great flavor*) and sauté for a further 10 minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have become soft.
4. Add the veg stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the thyme sprigs and blend the mixture with a hand blender or food blender until completely smooth.
6. Return to the heat, season with salt and pepper, serve hot with fresh chopped parsley and fried chestnut mushrooms.

*Sometimes dried mushrooms contain some grit which will be leftover in the soaking water, be sure to discard this before adding the soaking water to to the soup.