Polish Mushroom Soup

So I once again stole a photo from the Martha Stewart website because we once again ate all the food before it had a photo opp. But here is the deal: this photo sucks! Sorry, Martha it is true. I guess I have no right to complain because after all, I should have taken my own picture, but come on. So I apologize for the crappy photo. But this soup is amazing! You may question it when you see the ingredients (sour cream in soup?) but it is so good!
This recipe has a few odd ingredients so I modified it slightly. Here is what I did: The recipe calls for Polish borowik and shiitake mushroom, but try finding those in Cache Valley, so I just used just over 1 pound of white button mushroom. I also don't keep beef stock around that much so I added boullion to 3 quarts of water and that seemed to work just fine. Now for orzo. For those of you who don't know what the crap that is (I didn't), it is a small seed-shapped pasta. They are sometimes called melon seeds. I found them in the Hispanic section in my grocery store.


Any other changes I noted on the recipe. Let me know if you try this. Shawn and I think this soup is fantastic. So did my girls and that is saying something where mushroom are concerned.

Polish Mushroom Soup

Serves 8 to 12

5 to 6 ounces (about 4 to 6) dried mushrooms such as Polish borowik or cèpes

12 large dried shiitake mushrooms

3 quarts beef stock

5 medium ribs of celery, chopped

2 large onions, chopped

5 carrots, chopped

1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced- I quarted the, becuase I think they taste better that way. Yes I know it is strange, but it is true.

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped- I used 1 tsp dried parsely

2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped- I used 2 tsp. dried dill

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1 cup orzo

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup sour cream

Table salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse the dried mushrooms. Place mushrooms in 2 cups of cold water, and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. In a large pot, bring the stock to a simmer. Add the celery, onions, and carrots. Strain the dried mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Add the strained soaking liquid to the soup. Chop the hydrated mushrooms into 1/4-inch pieces slightly larger than the diced vegetables, and add to the soup. Add the sliced white button mushrooms.

3. Cover, and cook the soup until the vegetables are tender, about an hour. Bring the soup to a boil. Stirring constantly, add the orzo. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil, and, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking, cook until the orzo is cooked through, another 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Meanwhile melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove 1 cup of the broth from the soup, and add to the roux, whisking constantly until slightly thickened and free of lumps. Stir the thickened liquid into the soup. Add the chopped parsley and dill.

5. Finish the soup with sour cream: Add 1/4 cup of the thickened soup to the sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add the sour cream to the soup, whisking constantly until it is well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.