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Active Time
30 min
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Total Time
1 hr
This soup is inspired by one that food editor Paul Grimes's Russian grandmother used to make. Dark and woodsy porcini mushrooms add potent aroma and depth and are enlivened by the acidity of tomatoes and the lovely brightness of fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Step 1
Soak porcini in 2 cups hot water 15 minutes.
Step 2
Cook onion in butter with 1 teaspoon salt in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add celery, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Transfer porcini with a slotted spoon to pot and strain soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass measure. Add white mushrooms to pot with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, remaining 6 cups water, and porcini-soaking liquid. Simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes.
Step 4
Purée 1 cup vegetables and 1 cup liquid in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then return to pot. Stir in parsley, dill, and salt to taste.
Soup, without dill and parsley, can be made 3 days ahead and chilled. Add herbs after reheating.
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Reviews (28)
Back to TopExcellent. I made a couple of substitutions....I used all Baby bella (portabella) mushrooms; used my chicken broth for 2 cups of water. Used a little more butter and a large can of petite dice tomatoes. Seperately made barley and added it. Yum! Healthy and hearty!
realmaryk
Lorain, OH
1/7/2015
我有一些极好的从俄勒冈州和干牛肝菌looked for an appropriate dish. made this as written, although per suggestion a tossed in a potato for thickening. anyway, i thought it was only good. very reminiscent of the mushroom soups i've eaten in kitchens all over e. europe & russia. my wife, however, just adored this soup. her inner pole, i guess... still, high return on time and money here. a little porcini made 8 large servings of soup...
michaeladenner
finicky, florida
11/9/2013
Loved this soup. Made it for Christmas eve and it was a huge hit. The only change I made was to replace the parsley with cilantro.
Anonymous
laketown mi
12/30/2011
I made this soup for a neighborhood potluck and it was a big hit! Very hearty and very flavorful! I read all the other reviews and pretty much took everyone's advice, making the following changes - I did not use dill but instead added bay leaf, thyme and sage. I added potatoes (diced) instead of pureeing. I used creminis instead of white mushrooms and added the soaked porcinis (chopped) back to the soup. I also used 1/2 veg broth, 1/2 water.
PDXline
Portland, OR
11/15/2011
Delicious, fresh and hearty. The canned tomatoes are the only thing I might change. Maybe use tomato paste instead. I will sub creminis for white mushrooms next time to get a meatier taste. Very simple and definitely yummy.
Carmelle926
San Diego, CA
4/14/2011
We loved this soup! I added extra onion and garlic as some of the other here did (I can never get enough). I accidentally thought I had more white mushrooms than I did, so I ended up with a blend - extra porcini, 8oz white, 8oz baby bella. It was thick and flavorful!
gretcheepoo
NWI
4/11/2011
I love this labor intensive recipe and have made it a dozen times. It's always a request for potlucks too. My modifications: I use crimini instead of white mushrooms, season at every stage with salt and ground black pepper, add 2-3 cups of chopped kale or cabbage, add more chopped carrot or beets for chunkier soup, and finish each serving with a little creme fraiche. The other dishes in the Hanukkah meal are also delicious and worth the effort.
madeitmyself
Seattle
11/2/2010
I really liked this soup..I added about a cup and a half of dried mushrooms and let them soak for 30 minutes to intensify the flavor of the broth. I used half chicken broth and half water, and thought it made for a richer broth. Added a handful of barley and skipped the puree step. A good soup for a cold New England day!!
divinefeline
Boston, MA
1/31/2010
Base of this soup is really standard (and great), any mushroom would do really. I used a big can of diced tomatoes instead of a 15oz, as well as part veg broth instead of just water. I also don't like dill, so instead, I put fresh thyme, rosemary, a bayleaf and some black peppercorns in there. As others mentioned, throwing in some barley or potatoes would be awesome and totally fit in this soup, esp if you don't want to blend anything and want to thicken it up. Even better if you broil some good rustic bread with some olive oil, garlic/herbs to go with the soup. Really quick to make.
podunk411
Los Angeles
1/2/2010
I really wanted a mushroom soup I could enjoy. I did the barley, extra salt, pureed part to thicken, decreased the dill and added some basil. It still tasted like a mud pie to me. Tried a bit of sour cream..rich mud pie. I like mushrooms in salads and on pizza... To make a soup just intensifies the muddy taste...sigh.
shellks
ks
12/10/2009
phooey! where's the sour cream? this recipe is terrible.
Anonymous
cyberspace
12/9/2009
This is a delicious and satisfying soup - I make a non-tomato version of it regularly, but what is with all the blenderizing? I can guarantee the Russian grandmother never did that (being from the "old country" myself). What she probably did was add some barley and potatoes, both of which would thicken the broth. (Maybe, just maybe, she would have mashed the potatoes after cooking, but I highly doubt it.) She would have also added a little sour cream when serving.
Anonymous
Chicago, IL
12/9/2009
Great Soup! I used baby bellas instead of white mushrooms. Also topped with yogurt and chives, yum.
Anonymous
Prescott, Arizona
10/16/2009
Great soup. Would pass on the dill next time, but if you like dill maybe cut it in half. Added Barley (suggest cooking the night before if you use barley). Added a second can of tomatoes.
winedrunk
New York, NY
9/8/2009
This was really labor-intensive, and I was disappointed that the broth didn't have the richness that I had hoped for. Not sure whether I will try it again.
Anonymous
Los Angeles
4/15/2009