Hen of the Woods Mushroom soup

[JP Z]

This seems like a great way to use some of the Hens I've found from over the weekend. Anyone else have any good mushroom soups they make with wild ones?

Bob Sargent is the chef at Flora, a restaurant in Arlington, Mass. He shares his recipe for wild mushroom soup below:

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When I was in cooking school, I remember my instructor, Michel LeBorgne, telling us that when making a vegetable soup, we should use water as stock, to let the vegetable flavor come through. It wasn't what I expected from a French chef, since most recipes at that time called for chicken stock. The mirepoix, or seasoning vegetables used to flavor the water, provide the good flavor that I associate with so many savory dishes. The power of onions to make everything right is a true wonder! This recipe serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients

3 T. butter

1 large onion, diced

½ cup leek, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2 lbs. assorted wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (I usually use cepes and other boletes, hen-of-the-woods, and chicken mushrooms)

1 c. white wine

2 qts. Water (if using dried mushrooms, use strained liquid as part of water)

1 peeled, cubed starchy potato

6 sprigs each parsley and thyme, wrapped in cheesecloth with 5 bay leaves and ½ tsp. black peppercorns

1 c. heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter in 6-8 qt. saucepan. Add onions, leeks and carrots. Sweat over medium heat five to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 10 minutes. Add wine and cook five minutes more.

2. Add potato and two quarts water to pan and bring to a boil. Add cheesecloth-wrapped herbs and simmer until potato is very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Let cool a bit, remove herbs and puree in a food processor or blender or put through a food mill.

4. Reheat with 1 cup heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.

[pushbutton]

Always make a few batches of wild mushroom soup when it starts to cool down in the fall. That recipe looks like it would be tasty! Usually would not waste the hens on soup.....usually chickens/oysters/shaggies...but yeah, it has been a crazy year and down right sick of storing them. Brought back a few more yesterday, and for good or bad, two were infested with this little white bug I have never seen before. Did not even see them at first and figured it out after something was just tasting "wrong"...yep, can't imagine how many I ate....lol. Ended up making some excellent veggie mushroom and swiss sammie melts with the remaining good one though. As far as soup, I usually start out making a rue from approximately a half stick of butter and about a 2/3rds cup of flour. From there will add about 6 cups of liquid, usually 5 or so cups of milk and a cup of chicken broth....bypassing the cream, but using so much butter really do not think it matters much. Top it off with the shrooms, onion an garlic powder, salt and pepper, plus a small amount of earthy herbs from garden like thyme, sage, and rosemary.

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

Those sandwiches look great!!! Where's mine???

[pushbutton]

Don't know how far into the corn in North Iowa you live Capt., but would head due East until you run into Oak trees

Took a detour on the way to the lake and picked up a few more hens. Rather chilly, the soup sounded good, and did some combat cooking. Ended up using margarine and a little shore lunch for the rue. Thickened the milk further with some smashed taters and a couple egg yolks.....and topped it off with some bacon