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1
Place the dried porcinis in a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup and cover with 2 cups boiling water.
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2
Let sit for 30 minutes.
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3
Meanwhile, wipe the fresh mushrooms, trim away the bottoms if theyre sandy, break off the stems and set them aside.
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4
Set aside the caps in a separate bowl.
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5
Drain the porcinis through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl.
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6
Squeeze over the strainer to extract as much flavorful liquid as possible and set aside the broth.
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7
Rinse the mushrooms in several changes of water.
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8
Measure the mushroom soaking water and add water to make 2 cups.
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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.
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10
Cover and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour.
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11
Strain the soup and return to the saucepan.
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12
Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
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13
Slice the fresh mushroom caps paper-thin, toss with a couple of drops of lemon juice, and add to the soup pot.
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14
Heat through for 5 minutes.
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15
If garnishing with the garlic croutons, top them with Parmesan and place in a hot oven or toaster until the Parmesan has melted.
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16
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with chopped fresh chives and a crouton or two if desired.
