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In a small bowl, just cover the porcini with boiling water and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Peel the onion, trim the celery, and roughly chop both, then clean the button mushrooms and put it all into a large saucepan on a medium-high heat with a good lug of oil, the butter, the chili flakes, and the flour. Scoop in the porcini, reserving the soaking water for later. Cook it all for around 25 minutes, or until soft, dark, and intense, stirring regularly.
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Make up 6 cups of broth. Gradually add the hot broth to the pan, stirring continuously, along with 90% of the reserved porcini liquid. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the cream and grate in the Cheddar, then blend until smooth. Season to perfection and there you have it-mushroom soup for six!
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PS: To turn the soup into a pasta bake for six, preheat the oven to 325u00b0F. Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water according to package instructions, until just al dente, then drain and return to the pan. Pour over half the soup (eat the rest or save for another day), gently mix together, then tip into a baking dish (8 x 12 inches) and top with an extra grating of Cheddar. To make it extra special, use a mandolin (use the guard!) to shave the mushrooms and garlic into a bowl, strip in the thyme leaves, then toss it all in a drizzle of oil and scatter over the pasta. Bake for around 30 minutes, or until golden and starting to crisp up at the edges. Yum.
