Oh, chanterelles. It’s no wonder they get labelled as “the gold of the forest” – they’re so small and precious.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter
1 medium onion (4 oz, 120 g), finely diced
2 cloves garlic; sliced
1 lb (≈ 450 g) fresh chanterelles; cleaned and roughly chopped, see notes
2 medium carrots; peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 medium potatoes; peeled and diced
2 sprigs rosemary; leaves finely chopped, can be replaced with thyme
2.5 cups (≈ 600 ml) vegetable broth; ideally homemade
1 teaspoon nutmeg; ground
½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder; optional
2 pinches salt
1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground
4 tablespoons heavy cream (60 ml)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped; for sprinkling (optional)
METHOD
- Heat butter in a large deep pot over medium heat. Add finely diced onion and sliced garlic and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Add chanterelles, carrots and celery. Continue cooking for a further 10 minutes or so, until the excess liquid (released from the mushrooms) evaporates completely. Do monitor the heat – if it browns too quickly, reduce the heat.
- (optional) If you plan to use a few chanterelles as a garnish, now it’s a good time to “fish them out” and set aside for later.
- Add diced potatoes and rosemary leaves. Pour in vegetable stock, cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes over medium heat, until potatoes have softened. Take off the heat and blend with an immersion blender until completely smooth.
- Season with nutmeg, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for an additional minute or two.
- Pour into soup bowls, drizzle with heavy cream and garnish with leftover chanterelles (optional step: for more crispiness, fry them up on a small frying pan with a touch of butter). Serve immediately with croutons, soup pearls or another topping of your choice.
