Get stuck into the funghi!

Autumn is well and truly here, especially in Melbourne (mentioned, for the purposes of my non-Victorian followers).

And, there's not too many cities in the world where you can be driving down a significant traffic thoroughfare (Royal Parade) and see mushrooms popping up on either side of the road. In fact, even saw a pedestrian taking photos of the little marvels - very quaint and got me thinking about how versatile this ingredient is. You can fry them, bake them, mix them in sauces, stick them on pizzas, have them for breakfast lunch or dinner, you can even eat them raw.... there's not too many of nature's gifts that share this versatility.

And there are so many different varieties available, each with their own unique flavour. Slipper jacks, pine mushrooms, swiss, enoki, shitake, or just your stock standard button mushroom - they all have great use, especially at this time of year when supply is at a premium.

A couple of years ago, on a cold May day (completely rugged up) I went mushroom hunting down on the Mornington Peninsula and found the experience to be so interesting (and fun). It's amazing how much you can discover simply by getting down amongst the leaf litter below the massive and majestic pine trees.
And after the hunt, how well did a glass of pinot noir match itself to these morsels which we enjoyed as ingredients in soup, tarts and pizzas.

So here comes my recipe choice to share with you all. It's a Jamie Oliver special that I've cooked a number of times and each time, it's as good as the last. As a lover of beef stoganoff, I think the name of the soup allured me first up, but then the ease of the method made it a staple in my winter soup collection. The addition of rice as a thickener ensures this is a hearty soup to be enjoyed in front of the TV on a Sunday night - with a glass of pinot of course!

Mushroom Stroganoff Soup

40g unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, sliced

1kg mixed mushrooms (swiss, oyster, brown) chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped

2 bay leaves (great for flavour)

2 litres chicken or vegetable stock (see my next post about making your own stocks)

1/2 cup white rice

150ml sour cream

zest of 1 lemon

small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

freshly ground nutmeg, to sprinkle

Here's how to cook it!

Melt the butter in large saucepan, over medium heat.

Stir in garlic.

Add mushrooms and fry for 4-5 minutes.

Season with good quality salt (I use celtic sea salt).

Add onion and celery and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Add bay leaves, stock and rice and bring to the boil.

Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Discard bay leaves and blend soup.

Mix sour cream and lemon zest together.

Stir in a few drops of lemon juice and some salt for extra flavour.

Ladle soup into bowls and swirl in a spoonful of sour cream mixture

Sprinke soup with olive oil, parsley and a pinch of nutmeg.

If you like, you can reserve 1/3 of the cooked mushrooms and serve these on top of some grilled ciabatta bread on the side. I don't know about you, but I just love dunking bread into soup. It's so wholesome....

And, if you have access to truffle oil, go on, splurge!!! Add some to the soup in the cooking process. The flavour just takes things to a whole new level.

Enjoy!!