Week 43: Fungi Soup

... okay, I'm not sure if I'm even translating this correctly, because "fungi" combined with something you eat just sounds completely WRONG to me! Yet to a Dane "Mushroom soup" sounds totally wrong, because here mushrooms is a specific... eh... thingie ;) and not used in the broader sense. I'll be using "fungi" in the following, and hope that doesn't sound too much like I'm working with toadstools or organisms that should definitely not be found on your bathroom floor (or the floor of any other room in your house, for that matter!).

The Recipe (Makes 2 bowls)
250g mixed fungi (I used brown mushrooms, shit-take and oyster mushrooms)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp flour
1/3 litre (1.5 cup) chicken or vegetable bouillon
3 tbsp white wine
3 tbsp cream
salt, pepper, oregano
75g bacon

Cook bacon on a pan until crisp. Transfer to plate and blot with paper towels.

Chop onion and garlic finely. Melt butter in a pot and cook onion and garlic until soft. Add flour and cook briefly, stirring frequently. Add bouillon a little at a time, stirring constantly. Add chopped fungi and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and let simmer under a lid for 15 minutes or until the fungi are done. Transfer to a blender or food processor to puree the soup (or do as I do and use a hand/immersion blender). Return soup to pot and add cream and wine. Add salt, pepper and oregano according to taste. Heat through until just below boiling.

The Verdict
I have to admit, I was VERY sceptical about this while cooking it. The simmering fungi... did not smell all that nice. However, I figured I might as well go through with it, and fortunately discovered that it tasted a LOT better than it smelled! Probably not something I'll be in a hurry to make again, as it was too much of a hassle when compared to the results, but it was definitely edible.

If I do ever make it again, I think I'll try with some other fungi. Chanterelles, perhaps.