Irish Wild Mushroom Soup
A rich Irish wild mushroom soup with leeks, celery, and fresh herbs, finished with cream. Bowl after bowl, thick and dark, exactly what you want when the rain won't quit.
Wild field mushrooms appear in Ireland in August and September, often where sheep and horses have been grazing. They have a white, smooth cap, with pink gills that gradually darken to chocolate brown as they mature. Eileen notes to avoid those with white gills. Some are toxic. If you’re near a forest, forage. If you’re in a market or online, buy the best wild mushrooms you can find. Either way, don’t wash them. The flavor lives in the skin. Wipe them with a clean cloth and leave it at that.
I ate a lot of mushroom soup that trip. Bowl after bowl, thick and dark and exactly what you want when the rain won't quit. Soda bread came with it. Dense enough that halfway through the first slice, I understood why we were walking twelve miles a day. I honestly didn’t love mushroom soup before Ireland. I’m obsessed now. Some places change what you’ll eat.
This soup is simple and deeply flavored. Leeks, celery, fresh herbs, chicken stock, finished with milk and a swirl of cream. Serve it with brown bread. Walk twelve miles afterward if you like. The soup will have been worth it.
Notes
If you’re near a forest, by all means, forage and use a variety. I don’t live where foraging is possible so I picked up king oyster, brown beech and shiitake mushrooms at Trader Joe’s
Mushrooms have a lot of flavor in their skin. Wipe them with a clean cloth. Do not peel or wash them.
Chopping is rustic, typically 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch, uneven and freestyle. Perfect for soup since we’re using the immersion blender. If you cut them too large, they won’t soften in 10 minutes. Add 5 minutes and another 1/2 stick of butter if you prefer larger pieces.
For the herb bundle, a bouquet garni, I used thyme, dill, sage and parsley, tied together with kitchen twine
Serve in soup bowls. Top with a tablespoon swirl of cream or yogurt, chopped chives, and parsley per bowl.
Sláinte
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