Mushroom Stew

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms (about 8-10 mushrooms, dried)
• 1/2 cup porcini mushrooms (dried)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
• 1/2 large onion (finely diced (use the other half in the mushrooms below))
• 1 large carrot (diced into small cubes)
• 2 celery sticks (diced into small cubes)
• 2 medium white potatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups vegetable stock (chicken stock is also fine)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or Tamari, coconut aminos)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion (finely diced)
• 7 oz white button mushrooms (sliced (200 grams))
• 7 oz Swiss brown or Chestnut button mushrooms (sliced (200 grams))
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic (finely diced)
• A generous pinch of black pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (zest it first and set aside)
• 1 tablespoon flour (arrowroot, tapioca, or regular)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or coconut cream)
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Extra salt to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the dried mushrooms.Place the dried mushrooms in a jar or a bowl and add the boiling water. Submerge and let them soak for 10-15 minutes until rehydrated. Reserve the soaking liquid.

2. 2

   Make the stew base.In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and add the onions, carrots, celery and potato. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and stir for 2-3 minutes, until softened and lightly browned.

3. 3

   Cook the soup.Add 3 cups of stock and the reserved liquid from rehydrated mushrooms. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook for about 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Cook the mushrooms.In parallel to cooking the soup, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the remaining chopped onions and another ½ teaspoon of salt and sauté for 2 minutes until softened.

5. 5

   Chop the rehydrated mushrooms. Add those and the chopped fresh mushrooms to the pan. Stir and cook for 3 minutes on high heat, stirring a few times. The mushrooms will release lots of juices at this stage.

6. 6

   Now, add the salt, garlic, pepper and lemon juice. Cook for 5 more minutes, over medium-high heat, until the mushrooms are slightly browned and softened.

7. 7

   Combine the soup base and mushrooms.Add the pre-cooked mushrooms to the soupy base followed by tomato paste and Tamari (or soy sauce) and bring back to high heat. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium, cover with a lid and cook everything for 10 more minutes.

8. 8

   To finish the stew, whisk 1 tablespoon of flour (your choice) with 2-3 tablespoons of water or the liquid from the stew. I usually do this in a small bowl using a fork. Make sure this slurry mixture is smooth. Pour it back into the stew, stir through and turn the heat off. The stew should thicken slightly.

9. 9

   Finally, stir in the cream and taste for salt and pepper. Sprinkle in lemon zest and fresh parsley and you're ready to serve.