I’ll admit it, I used to be afraid of
dried mushrooms. I’d see those little packages
all lined up in an attractive display in the produce section of the local
market, would eye them curiously and walk away.
There was just no way, I told myself, that those dried up things could
ever rehydrate and again resemble a REAL mushroom, and they just couldn’t have
much taste, could they? Boy, was I wrong. This was
years ago, of course, in my pre-O-P days.
Now I keep a constant supply of them in my cabinets and panic when I get
down to just one or two packages. Dried
mushrooms have helped me out of many a mushroom emergency when the fresh ones
wrinkled up and abandoned me when I
needed them the most. As far as taste,
once rehydrated the taste is intense and earthy, nutty and woodsy, and they can greatly enhance any recipe in which fresh mushrooms are to be used. Case in point, this delicious mushroom soup
that I put together in preparation for taking another dinner to dad. Is the
soup good? Well, let me put it to you
this way, I sent him two meals and two appetizer servings of soup. All of the soup was consumed with the first meal and I received an enthusiastic
request for more.
Exotic Mushroom Soup
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onions
6 ounces crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2–ounce package Melissa’s Dried Exotic Mushroom Medley
2-1/2 cups very warm water
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons Jamison’s beef flavored soup base
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons Jamison’s beef flavored soup base
¼ teaspoon Steak Seasoning (I used McCormick’s Montreal Steak Grill
Mates)
Empty entire package of exotic mushrooms into a medium-sized bowl. Cover with 2-1/2 cups of warm water. Set aside and allow to rehydrate for 30-60 minutes.
Empty entire package of exotic mushrooms into a medium-sized bowl. Cover with 2-1/2 cups of warm water. Set aside and allow to rehydrate for 30-60 minutes.
Strain mushrooms through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a
medium bowl. Measure out 2 cups of the mushroom liquid; set
aside. Roughly chop the hydrated mushrooms; set aside. Melt
butter in medium pot over medium-high heat.
Add onions; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add
all mushrooms and thyme; sauté until mushrooms begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Add
brandy; stir 30 seconds, then mix in flour and soup base. Slowly stir in mushroom water; bring soup to
boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Season
with steak seasoning. Ladle into small
cups or ramekins. Makes 4 appetizer servings. Recipe
may be doubled.
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Looks delicious and I like the idea of serving them in ramekins.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am a dried mushroom keeper, as well! What a lovely and delicious looking soup. And lucky me, I have everything on hand to make this tonight!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking in. Cheers
ReplyDelete