MIXED MUSHROOMS CREAM

Soup - Lactose free - Vegan/vegetarian - Can be gluten free (READ notes at bottom)

1 lb mixed fresh mushrooms
2 oz Italian dried porcini mushrooms
2 medium potatoes
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
3 sage leaves
2 tbsp Italian extra virign olive oil
6 cups vegetable broth
Ciabatta, Italian or Pugliese bread
Italian sea salt


Put broth in a saucepan, warm it up and keep it warm.

Soak dried porcini in lukewarm water for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, peel and dice potatoes; arrange onion and sage and finely mince them; clean and dice fresh mushrooms.

In a large saucepan with lid, on medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and sautee the onion mixture until lightly golden, then add the fresh mushrooms and mix to combine.

Remove porcini from water and squeeze them; carefully strain water, in order to remove all impurities, and set it aside. If needed, cut the bigger slices, add them to the saucepan, mix well and sautee for 2 minutes.

Now add the porcini's water and about 4 cups of the warm broth. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to minimum, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Season with salt, if needed.

Slice bread about 1/2" thick and toast it in a toaster oven or under the broiler. Cut garlic in half widthwise and "brush" it on the slices, then cube sliced into croutons.

Blend soup until you obtain a smooth cream, you can use an immersion blender if you have it.

Put it back in the saucepan, on the stove, and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Place even quantities of garlic croutons on the bottom of individual bowls, then pour mushroom cream and drizzle with some really good Italian extra virgin olive oil.

This recipe serves 4-6

- If you want, you can cook pasta (short cut or broken spaghetti), rice or farro in it: in this case you will need to add some of the reserved broth, because it would be too thick to allow proper cooking.
- DON'T use Parmigiano: as good as it is, it would cover mushrooms' delicate flavor.
- You can sprinkle with some freshly chopped parsley.
- It's perfect even at room temperature, making it a perfect dish for every season (even though mushrooms are more of a "fall" dish)
- If you don't want to buy vegetable broth, make your own with onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, potatoes, Swiss chard and other veggies you like. Then eat boiled veggies and save the broth (you can also freeze it!)
- It's lactose free, vegan and, if you use gluten free pasta (or rice) it can be gluten free.