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one ordinary bowl of clear deep-brown mushroom broth containing irregular browned oyster and shiitake mushroom pieces, soft caramelized onion strands and cooked chopped kale, with no rice, pasta, cream, cheese or garnish
Andre Lewis

Wild Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Kale Soup

Strain the porcini soaking liquid through a paper filter before adding it to the soup; a few grains of grit can spoil an otherwise good bowl. Caramelized onions give the clear mushroom broth sweetness and body without cream. Brown the fresh mushrooms in batches so their irregular edges color properly. Kale adds a little chew after the onions have softened into strands. Keep the fresh mushroom pieces large enough to recognize, with the finely chopped porcini spreading their deeper flavor through the liquid around them.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 3 tbsp olive oil divided
  • 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1 lb cultivated mixed oyster and shiitake mushrooms tough stems discarded and caps torn into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 4 cups stemmed kale chopped into small pieces
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp sherry vinegar

Method
 

  1. Cover dried porcini with boiling water in a heatproof bowl and soak for 20 minutes. Lift mushrooms out, rinse away any grit and chop finely; strain soaking liquid through a damp paper coffee filter set in a sieve, reserving the filtered liquid.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring often, until deeply golden and soft.
  3. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown fresh mushrooms in 2 batches for 5 to 6 minutes per batch, leaving them undisturbed briefly between turns.
  4. Stir garlic into caramelized onions for 30 seconds, then add sherry and simmer for 1 minute. Add chopped porcini, filtered soaking liquid, broth, thyme, browned mushrooms and remaining salt.
  5. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add kale and pepper and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until kale is tender. Stir in vinegar and divide among 6 bowls.