Mushroom and Dried Porcini Soup

1. 1

   Place the dried porcinis in a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup and cover with 2 cups boiling water.

2. 2

   Let sit for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, wipe the fresh mushrooms, trim away the bottoms if theyre sandy, break off the stems and set them aside.

4. 4

   Set aside the caps in a separate bowl.

5. 5

   Drain the porcinis through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl.

6. 6

   Squeeze over the strainer to extract as much flavorful liquid as possible and set aside the broth.

7. 7

   Rinse the mushrooms in several changes of water.

8. 8

   Measure the mushroom soaking water and add water to make 2 cups.

9. 9

   In a soup pot or a large saucepan, combine the mushroom soaking liquid, the chicken or vegetable stock, the soaked porcinis, fresh mushroom stems, garlic, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer.

10. 10

    Cover and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour.

11. 11

    Strain the soup and return to the saucepan.

12. 12

    Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

13. 13

    Slice the fresh mushroom caps paper-thin, toss with a couple of drops of lemon juice, and add to the soup pot.

14. 14

    Heat through for 5 minutes.

15. 15

    If garnishing with the garlic croutons, top them with Parmesan and place in a hot oven or toaster until the Parmesan has melted.

16. 16

    Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with chopped fresh chives and a crouton or two if desired.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.