This version is a spin-off of a traditional Russian recipe. Russian soups have a base of clear broth and are never creamy, and mushroom soup is no exception. This is exactly how we used to make it back in the day: boil fresh mushrooms, pop in some potatoes, carrots and onions and season with salt and pepper. I remember calling it ‘forest soup’ because of its deep, woody, earthy aromas. These days I’m using frozen king bolete – also known as porcini, or cèpes – and add a number of supporting ingredients to enhance the overall flavour.
The Flavour Affair:
King Bolete + Bay Leaf + Black Peppercorns + Nutmeg
The trio of bay leaf, nutmeg and black peppercorns is a heavenly match for king bolete. They help draw out the natural sweetness of mushrooms by creating a subtle contrast on the background: herbal, pungent, bittersweet. Yet each one of them has warmth, which is what makes them connect so beautifully together.
Other Ingredients:
Potatoes, carrots and onions are essential elements in the traditional recipes. Potatoes are simply cut into bite sized pieces and boiled. As for onions and carrots, we typically saute them first in a little oil to improve the flavour and add a bit of fattiness to the soup.
Spinach: although not a part of any original recipe, spinach is amazing here. It goes very well with both mushrooms and spices, has an added benefit of being packed with nutrients and creates a beautiful pop of color. I also very much like its delicate, creamy texture.
Parsley: a classic companion for the mushrooms, freshly chopped parsley adds a fragrant, fresh finish.
Sour Cream: in Russia, we love adding sour cream to our soups. It thickens them, cools them down a bit and adds a subtle sourness. It also works particularly well with mushrooms, so I would suggest you definitely give it a go!
Preparation Tips for Mushroom Soup with King Bolete, Spinach and Nutmeg:
- Buy a pack of frozen king bolete mushrooms that have ideally been cleaned – this will make cooking a breeze.
- Do not defrost the mushrooms! Just wash them under lukewarm running water to get rid of dirt, if any.
- Place frozen clean mushrooms into a bowl and cover completely with water. Typically, they just need around 20-25 minutes of simmering.
- Bay leaf and black peppercorns go in first together with the mushrooms. They impart their flavours to the broth during the simmering stage.
- In turn, nutmeg can lose much of its taste if cooked over longer periods of time. For this reason it is better to add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg at the very end.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Thoroughly wash spinach leaves and set aside. Finely chop an onion and grate a carrot over the larger side of the grater. Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil to medium and fry the onions for 3-4 minutes until just starting to turn golden. Then add the carrots and fry for a few more minutes until the carrots soften. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and set aside.
- Once the mushrooms are cooked, take them out, add 1/2 tsp of salt, cut potatoes and simmer until they are done.
- Return the mushrooms to the pot with potatoes and add the onions and carrot mixture. Stir to combine and taste and adjust for salt.
- Switch the heat off and stir in spinach leaves. This way they will just wilt, preserving their colour and texture.
- Lastly, sprinkle over 1/3 tsp freshly grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
Serve garnished with chopped parsley and some fresh bread on the side. Enjoy the soup the traditional Russian way by stirring in a tea spoon of sour cream.
Looking for more Russian style soup recipes to try? make sure to check out my Meat Solyanka, the famous Borscht, or Hearty Lamb and Lentils Soup!
.
Mushroom Soup with King Bolete, Spinach and Nutmeg
Equipment
- 1 Soup pot
- 1 medium frying pan
Ingredients
- 300 g frozen king bolete mushrooms
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 medium potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups of fresh spinach leaves thoroughly washed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
- Sour cream to serve optional
Instructions
- Wash the mushrooms under running lukewarm water. Do not defrost – we will be cooking frozen washed mushrooms.
- Place mushrooms into a medium soup pot and cover with 1.5l of cold water.
- Add 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp of black peppercorns and bring to boil.
- Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked.
- In the meantime, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium frying pan.
- Add the onions and fry for 4-5 minutes until just starting to turn golden.
- Add the grated carrot and fry for further 3-4 minutes until it softens. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and set aside.
- When the mushrooms are cooked, take them out and transfer to a plate.
- Add 1/2 tsp of salt to the pot, add the potatoes and simmer for 7-10 minutes until the potatoes are done.
- Return the mushrooms and the onions and carrots to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Turn the heat off and stir in the spinach leaves. Keep stirring until they just wilt.
- Sprinkle over 1/3 tsp of grated nutmeg.
- Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley and sour cream.
Notes
- The soup can last in the fridge for 2 days.
43 Responses
I cling on to listening to the rumor lecture about receiving boundless online grant applications so I have been looking around for the best site to get one. Could you tell me please, where could i find some?
Hello! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with us so I came to look it over. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Excellent blog and amazing design and style.
F*ckin’ awesome things here. I’m very happy to look your post. Thanks a lot and i am having a look forward to touch you. Will you please drop me a mail?
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me.
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my weblog so i came to “return the favor”.I am trying to find things to improve my website!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!
You made some good points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found most persons will agree with your blog.
Utterly indited content, Really enjoyed looking through.
Hi there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
I was suggested this website by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my problem. You’re wonderful! Thanks!
I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this web site. Reading this information So i am happy to convey that I have a very good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make certain to don’t forget this website and give it a glance regularly.
Thank you so much for providing individuals with an extremely marvellous opportunity to read in detail from this website. It is usually very sweet and as well , packed with a lot of fun for me and my office acquaintances to search your web site at minimum 3 times every week to study the latest issues you have got. And definitely, I am just always pleased for the perfect guidelines you serve. Certain 2 points in this article are undeniably the finest I’ve ever had.
I cherished as much as you will receive performed right here. The comic strip is tasteful, your authored material stylish. nevertheless, you command get got an nervousness over that you would like be delivering the following. unwell surely come further previously again since precisely the similar nearly very ceaselessly inside of case you shield this increase.
Admiring the dedication you put into your site and detailed information you offer. It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same outdated rehashed information. Fantastic read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
This is a very good tips especially to those new to blogosphere, brief and accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
Very wonderful visual appeal on this web site, I’d value it 10 10.
Good day very nice blog!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Superb .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds also?KI’m satisfied to search out a lot of helpful info right here within the post, we’d like work out extra techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
magnificent points altogether, you simply received a brand new reader. What may you suggest about your publish that you simply made a few days in the past? Any positive?
I absolutely love your blog and find most of your post’s to be what precisely I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content for you personally? I wouldn’t mind creating a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write concerning here. Again, awesome weblog!
Greetings! Very helpful advice on this article! It is the little changes that make the biggest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Very interesting points you have noted, regards for posting.
After all, what a great site and informative posts, I will upload inbound link – bookmark this web site? Regards, Reader.
Hiya, I’m really glad I have found this information. Nowadays bloggers publish only about gossips and internet and this is actually frustrating. A good blog with exciting content, this is what I need. Thanks for keeping this web site, I will be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can not find it.
I have recently started a web site, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work. “Marriage love, honor, and negotiate.” by Joe Moore.
Really instructive and good structure of written content, now that’s user pleasant (:.
I love the efforts you have put in this, thank you for all the great posts.
I do agree with all of the ideas you have presented in your post. They are very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for novices. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
Keep functioning ,fantastic job!
I think other web site proprietors should take this site as an model, very clean and excellent user genial style and design, let alone the content. You are an expert in this topic!
Aw, this was a really nice post. In concept I want to put in writing like this moreover – taking time and precise effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and on no account appear to get something done.
Very interesting topic, appreciate it for putting up. “Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired.” by Titus Maccius Plautus.
Hello, you used to write magnificent, but the last several posts have been kinda boring?K I miss your great writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! come on!
An impressive share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If possible, as you become expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more details? It is highly helpful for me. Big thumb up for this blog post!
Thank you a lot for giving everyone remarkably special opportunity to check tips from here. It is usually so pleasurable and as well , full of fun for me and my office friends to search your site minimum thrice in 7 days to find out the newest guidance you will have. And lastly, I am just certainly pleased with all the mind-boggling principles you serve. Some 3 tips on this page are indeed the very best we have all ever had.
Great info and right to the point. I don’t know if this is in fact the best place to ask but do you folks have any thoughts on where to get some professional writers? Thanks in advance 🙂
Respect to op, some great information .
I was very pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more from this post. I’m very glad to see such magnificent info being shared freely out there.
Very interesting details you have mentioned, thanks for posting.
you’re in point of fact a good webmaster. The site loading pace is incredible. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterwork. you have performed a excellent task in this subject!
Hi, Neat post. There is an issue together with your web site in internet explorer, might check thisK IE nonetheless is the marketplace leader and a large component to folks will leave out your wonderful writing because of this problem.
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he just bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch!
I believe other website proprietors should take this website as an model, very clean and excellent user genial layout.
Nice weblog right here! Additionally your web site loads up fast! What host are you the use of? Can I get your associate hyperlink for your host? I want my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol