A Soup of Toasted Roots with Porcini Toasts

Name: A Soup of Toasted Roots with Porcini Toasts
Yield: enough for 6
Ingredients: dried porcini mushrooms – a handful; onions – 2 medium; olive oil – 3 tablespoons; a large tablespoon of butter; parsnips – 1 1/4 pounds (600g; 2 large ones); light stock – 5 cups (1.2 liters); a rib of celery, chopped; garlic – a plump clove, peeled and squashed; dried porcini mushrooms – a handful; the leaves from a small bunch of parsley; a small clove of garlic; walnuts – a handful, chopped; butter – 4 tablespoons (50g); interesting bread – 6 pieces, toasted

December 14, 2011

Dried porcini are expensive, but even a small handful added to a soup will bring with it a wave of smoky, almost beefy notes. A general instruction with parsnip soup is to prevent the vegetables coloring, presumably to keep the soup pale, but I suggest the opposite. You want the parsnips to cook to a gentle golden color before you add the stock; that way the soup will have a deeper flavor and a color reminiscent of heather honey.

Recipe notes

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