WILD MUSHROOM SOUP WIHT SPINACH AND GINGER BROTH

WILD MUSHROOM SOUP WIHT SPINACH AND GINGER BROTH image

Yield 6-8

Number Of Ingredients 11

4 tbsp vegetable oil
12 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
12 green onions, white and pale green parts thinly sliced, tops cut into 1/2 in lengths and reserved
1 5 in piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
12 cps water
3 14 1/2 oz cans low-salt chicken broth
1 cp dried porcini mushrooms ( about 3/4 oz), rinsed briefly
3 tsps sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 6 0z package baby spinach thinly sliced

Steps:

Heat 3 tbsps oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and saute until golden, about 5 mins. Transfer mushrooms to medium bowl. Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in same pot. Add thinly sliced green onions, ginger and garlic; saute 1 min. Add water, broth and porcini. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes. Strain soup into large pot, pressing on solids in strainer to release as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. Stir shiitake mushrooms into broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 mins. Add sugar and salt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Add green onion tops and spinach to soup and simmer until spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Ladle into bowls. (Dried porcini mushrooms are available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and many supermarkets.)