Double Mushroom Soup (non-dairy)

Masa and I loved this soup. It was really creamy and flavorful.

Double Mushroom Soup

(Makes 4 servings, recipe adapted by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen from Anthony Bourdain's Mushroom Soup recipe on Serious Eats.) Click here for her post.

1 cup dried mushrooms (I used dried shitakes)
2 cup boiling water
3 T olive oil (more or less, depending on your pan and whether you're using the butter)
2 tsp. butter (I used half butter and half olive oil)
1 large onion, cut into thin half-slices
12 oz. fresh mushroom, thickly sliced (I used enoki mushrooms)
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp. dried parsley (I skipped this)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T good quality balsamic vinegar, for drizzling over soup when you serve it

Bring 2 cups water to a boil, then put dried mushrooms into a plastic bowl and pour boiling water over. Let mushrooms soak 30 minutes, while you prep other ingredients.

Peel onion and cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thin slices. Wash mushrooms, drain in colander, and then cut into thick slices. Heat 2 T olive oil (plus 1 tsp. butter if you're using it) in the bottom of a heavy soup pot big enough to hold all the soup. Saute onions about about five minutes, until they're well softened but not browned. Add 1 more T olive oil if you think you need it (plus 1 tsp. more butter if you're using it). Add sliced fresh mushrooms and saute about 8 minutes, until mushrooms have released all their liquid and it has mostly been evaporated.

Add dried mushrooms, mushrooms soaking water (strained through cheesecloth or a coffee filter if it needs it), chicken stock, and dried or fresh parsley. Bring soup to a very gentle simmer and cook uncovered for about one hour. After an hour (when soup should have reduced by at least 1/4) taste for flavor, and add salt and fresh ground black pepper as needed. If the soup doesn't seem flavorful enough, cook a bit longer to reduce a little more. When soup has a good mushroom flavor, puree either by using an immersion blender to puree soup in the pot, or by carefully removing hot soup to a food processor or regular blender to puree. (Be very careful if using food processor or blender. Puree in batches, and don't overfill the container.)

Serve hot (reheat if needed after pureeing in food processor or blender). Drizzle a little good quality balsamic vinegar over each bowl of soup as you serve it.