golden mushroom soup

this is one of the treasures inside the box of leftovers from from my recently relocated friend, R. mushrooms that were hand-picked and dried by her boyfriend. how does one give such a gift away? i'm certainly not complaining. these are quite expensive anywhere, and denmark is no exception. mushrooms are also one of my favourite foods. pretty ironic then, that they've been stored in a pickle jar. i hate dill pickles. (;

the temperatures here have suddenly decided to take a nose dive so i'm craving foods that have a bit more substance. and now that this crazy summer is over, i can finally turn on the oven to start baking bread again. and bread goes pretty damn well with soup.


golden mushroom soup has been one of my comfort foods for as long as i can remember. but the fact that it is not available here is probably better for my body, seeing how much sodium it contains. i never really thought of what went into that soup, but it tastes so good. thick and salty and slightly sweet. the only problem was that there were never enough unsettlingly soft mushrooms floating in that soup. what i ended up making was not exactly the taste that i remember, but it is quite close and very tasty. i think if i tweak it a bit more, i can get even closer. hmm, i think my husband's problem-solving personality is rubbing off on me.

golden mushroom soup
adapted from mushroom appreciation

400g mushrooms, chopped
a small handful dried mushrooms, soaked overnight
200ml of mushroom soaking water
2 tbsp olive oil
500ml vegetable stock
100ml soy milk
4 tbsp white wine
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped (using canned tomatoes won't hurt)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and saute the onions until they're getting a little brown. add mushrooms, paprika, white wine, tomatoes, and cook for about 5 minutes. add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. then add the stock, mushroom soaking water, and soy sauce. close the lid and let simmer for 10 minutes. add the soy milk and remove from heat. blend the soup with an immersion blender to a consistency of your liking. finish with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.