MUSHROOM & FARRO SOUP

I heard you like magic

Two days ago, my sister asked me “What is your favorite vegetable?” I said “mushrooms.” knowing full well the mushroom is not a vegetable, and she said “I knew you’d say that.” I want to eat mushrooms every day. My mushroom fandom goes back as far as my memory and grows stronger and stronger with each year that passes. Mushrooms belong on every pizza. If the menu has fried appetizers, but no fried mushrooms, the restaurant is horseshit. The best sandwich at Thyme Machine is the mushroom sandwich, yeah I said it. I have two mushroom tattoos. The mushroom is an incredible, versatile, and underutilized ingredient. It’s shocking to me that in three years of writing this newsletter I have never written about it. So here I am sharing my mushroom broth and my favorite soup at the moment.

I made this soup tonight, which is Saturday, the hottest day of the heat wave. I stood outside and grilled bread and fried eggs for four hours this morning as my neck fan blew my own 93° sweat into my hair. There was a time not so long ago that I was paid a not insignificant amount of money to sit in a 68° basement office, wearing a cute outfit, watching eight hours of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, waiting for someone to die. Is this my life now? Will I ever be at a comfortable temperature again? Will I make it to the pool even once this summer? Are we, too, living atop a Hellmouth? I have never been more grateful that I decided to shell out for a nice air conditioner two years ago.

I am obsessed with this soup right now. I’ve been eating it for every meal. I’m mad at anyone who hasn’t tried it. It’s earthy and savory and very mushroomy, but also light. It’s complex and funky. It’s a really really good soup. I have been using a mixture of shitake, cremini, and white mushrooms and I like the way that’s working. Use whatever mixed mushrooms you want (or just use one kind).

MUSHROOM BROTH

2 large yellow onions, cut in half crossway
2 heads garlic, cut in half crossway
2 lb. mixed mushrooms, stems only
2 carrots
2 cups mixed dried mushrooms
1 tbsp. whole peppercorn
1 thyme bunch

Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium high and add the onions, flesh side down. Cook the onions, moving them around occasionally until the flesh is deeply browned / charred all over. Meanwhile, remove the stems from the mushrooms and add them to the pot, set the caps aside. Add all of the other ingredients and 4 quarts of cold water. Bring the broth to a low simmer and continue to simmer for 2 - 4 hours. Strain and set aside.

MUSHROOM & FARRO SOUP

1 large shallot, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 lb. mixed mushrooms, halved or quartered
½ cup white wine or white wine vinegar
3 quarts mushroom broth
1 lb. farro
1 lb. wedge Parmesan, rind separated
Fresh oregano, thyme, and chives

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a Dutch oven, heat two tablespoons of olive oil then add shallots and garlic and sauté until they begin to brown. Place half the mushrooms on a sheet tray, coat with olive oil and salt and put them in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes or until the mushrooms begin to brown and release juices. Meanwhile, add the other half of the mushrooms and white wine to the shallots and garlic and reduce until the mushrooms soften and the wine has been absorbed. Pull the mushrooms from the oven and add them and their juices to the Dutch oven. Add 3 quarts of mushroom broth and the parm rind and bring to a simmer. Boil the farro in a separate pot of salted water until it is cooked through then strain it and add it to the soup. Grate half of the parmesan wedge into the soup and stir until it melts. Add thyme and oregano and salt to taste and bing bang boom its a good soup. Serve with fresh grated parm, thyme, chives, and fresh cracked pepper.

Store the soup with the parm rind in the soup but don’t eat it.

Last week, I spent a few days in the Adirondacks with my family. It was a beautiful, relaxing trip that required sixteen hours of driving round trip. In the car, I finished listening to Tom Lake by Anne Patchett which was outstandingly read by Meryl Streep. Then, I became blissfully immersed in The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. I am on the train. I am on the bandwagon. I am in the Pink Pony Club. It’s a femininomenon. It’s Pop Girl Summer.

Additionally, I am moving forward with a space that I am very excited about. Today is the last day to order a t-shirt at Commonwealth Press to help my dreams come true. My friends at Commonwealth Press reached out to me out of the kindness of their heart to put this together and all of the proceeds from these t-shirt orders will go directly to my new space. It’s a great option for people who didn’t get a chance to contribute to the invest or those who wanted to help but not invest. Then in the future, when I see you out wearing your “I supported brothmonger” t-shirt, I’ll give you a big kiss on the lips.

I love you
I love you
I love you
-the BMer