Mushroom and potato soup with cipolline onion focaccia
A common advertising line is that mushrooms are “meat for vegetarians”. Although I don’t think this is accurate where my palate is concerned they are a big part of my autumn/fall menu at home. My usual go-to recipe is risotto, but a pot of soup hits the spot in colder weather. I used a selection of wild mushrooms (Slippery Jack and pine mushrooms) but you could use any mushrooms you like. Adding potatoes to the soup thickens it beautifully and a dollop of crème fraiche or thick Greek yoghurt gives it a lovely richness.
And where there is soup, there must be bread - at least that is the rule in my house. The easiest bread to make at home is focaccia. The dough is mixed by hand and there is very little kneading required. You just need a warm spot and a couple of hours to allow it to rise. Following a recipe I learned when I was travelling through the town of Bari in Puglia late last year, I added a warm cooked potato to the dough. Before baking I topped the dough with the thinly sliced cipolline, a variety of tiny, slightly squashed, mild and rather sweet onions, which I had sautéed in a dash of olive oil.
Served with a glass of Sangiovese, the soup and focaccia was a clear winner as a simple winter warmer meal (and you could also cheat and buy the bread...).
Mushroom and potato soup with cipolline onion focaccia
serves 4 as an entree
275g wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
dash olive oil
400g potato, cooked, peeled and diced
100g cipollina onions (or baby leeks), peeled/cleaned and thinly sliced
1 litre vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
finely chopped parsley
creme fraiche (1 large dollop per person)
Place the potato in a small saucepan filled with cold water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes until fork tender. Peel, dice and set aside.
While the potato is cooking, sauté the cipollina onions (or baby leeks) in a dash of olive oil in a medium-sized, lidded saucepan for 10 minutes on low heat until transluscent, making sure they do not colour.
Place the sliced mushrooms in a small frypan with a dash of olive oil on medium heat and sauté for about 3 minutes. Reserve a few (for serving) and toss the rest in with the onion. Add the previously cooked diced potato and a litre of vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Now remove from the heat, blend using a stick blender, add salt and pepper to taste and return to the heat and keep warm until you are ready to serve.
Place the soup in warmed serving bowls, stir through a spoonful of creme fraiche (to taste), toss in a few of the reserved slices of mushroom, finely chopped parsely and serve with cipolline onion focaccia.