Mushroom soup (very low salt) with Whiskey Black Pepper Cream
25g dried mushrooms – shiitake or porcini work well
3 medium onions, peeled and halved
2 sticks celery
3 cloves garlic
10ml low salt soy sauce (= 1g salt)
300g mushrooms, wipe with kitchen paper and quartered
Oil for cooking
Method
Soak the dried mushrooms in 500ml of boiling water for 30 minutes.
Remove mushrooms (keep the soaking liquor) and chop.
Place onions on foil and drizzle with a little oil.
Add some sprigs of thyme and gather up. Roast in a 180oc oven until soft – about an hour.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan and add the cooked onions.
Cook until golden and add the celery and garlic. Cook for a minute and add the soaked chopped mushrooms and soaking liquid.
Add 500ml of water and simmer for 30 minutes. Heat a large frying pan until smoking and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the mushrooms – don’t over crowd the pan (cook in two batches if you have to), season with black pepper and cook until golden.
Add to the soup pan with the soy and cook for 5 minutes. Blend to a smooth puree.
Whiskey Black Pepper Cream
75ml whipping cream
2 tablespoons whiskey
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Whip the cream as you would for Irish coffee. Fold in the whiskey and pepper.
Spoon into bowls and dollop on the cream.
Season the top of the cream with more black pepper and garnish with chopped chives.
