Mushroom Bisque With Farro Food

FARRO WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with warm water; soak until mushrooms are reconstituted, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and chop mushrooms.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Saute brown mushrooms with a pinch of salt in hot oil until slightly golden and moisture cooks off, 5 to 10 minutes. Add chopped porcini mushrooms, reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir until hot, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Stir onion into mushrooms; cook and stir until translucent and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Pour farro into mushroom mixture; stir until farro is coated in olive oil. Increase heat to high and add 1 cup chicken broth with a pinch of salt to mushroom mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer, stirring once, until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and stir remaining chicken broth into farro mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until farro is starting to get tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and continue simmering uncovered until farro reaches desired tenderness, about 15 minutes more.
• Reduce heat to low; stir creme fraiche and parsley into farro mixture. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into farro and ladle into bowls.

FARRO WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place the farro in a bowl, and pour on enough hot water to cover by an inch. Let soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain.
• Place the dried mushrooms in a large Pyrex measuring cup or bowl, and pour in 2 cups boiling water. Let sit 30 minutes.
• Drain the mushrooms through a strainer set over a bowl and lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer, then rinse in several changes of water to remove grit. Chop coarsely if the pieces are large and set aside. Add the broth from the mushrooms to the stock. You should have 6 cups (add water if necessary). Place in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt to taste.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften and sweat. Add salt to taste, the garlic and rosemary. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender, about five minutes. Add the farro and reconstituted dried mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the grains of farro are separate and beginning to crackle, about two minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Add all but about 1 cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 50 minutes or until the farro is tender; some of the grains will be beginning to splay. Remove the lid, and stir vigorously from time to time. Taste and adjust seasoning. There should be some liquid remaining in the pot but not too much. If the farro is submerged in stock, raise the heat and cook until there is just enough to moisten the grains, like a sauce. If there is not, stir in the remaining stock. If not serving right away, cover and let stand. Just before serving, bring back to a simmer, add the Parmesan, parsley and pepper, and stir together. Remove from the heat and serve.

MOREL MUSHROOM BISQUE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, and morels; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken soup base and flour; cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in water and cream; bring to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes.
• Puree half of the soup in small batches, filling the blender no more than halfway full each time. Return soup puree to pot. Cook on low 10 to 15 minutes. Season with thyme and salt and pepper before serving.

CREAM OF WILD MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if they are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
• To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.
• Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

MUSHROOM FARROTTO

Steps:

• Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms for 30 minutes while you prep the vegetables. Drain the mushrooms and reserve the soaking water. Strain the soak water through a fine sieve (see Chef Tips). Set aside. Take the soaked mushrooms, discard the woody stems, and roughly chop. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a Dutch oven over a medium high flame. When it shimmers, add the onion, celery, and carrot. Sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the drained farro. Cook until the juices in the pan are absorbed. Add the lemon-water mixture and mushroom soaking water, and cook until the farro is "al dente" - tender but still a little chewy - and the water has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. If the farro is dry but still underdone, add the additional water or stock, ¼ cup at a time.
• Meanwhile, in a saute pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and thyme. Saute until the shallots start to color, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped dried mushrooms, cook 1-2 minutes, then add the sliced fresh mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and cook until they wilt, about 5-8 minutes. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let the mushrooms steam for 5-10 minutes or until the farro is cooked.
• Stir in the sauteed mushroom-mixture and all its juices into the cooked farro. Stir the grated cheese, if using. Taste for salt. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

MUSHROOM BISQUE

Steps:

• in pot add chopped bacon, cook to render fat.
• add onions, garlic and celery, stir until softened.
• add mushrooms, cook until brown, 15 minutes.
• deglaze pan with cognac, add wine and reduce.
• add broth and simmer 30 minutes.
• puree mixture with hand blender or pour into blender in batches.
• return to heat, add cream, salt, pepper, do not boil.

MUSHROOM BISQUE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute the mushrooms, onion and parsley in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly. , Transfer to a blender; cover and process until pureed. Return to pan. Stir in sour cream; heat through, stirring occasionally (do not boil).

MUSHROOM BISQUE WITH FARRO

Steps:

• Soak the farro in cold water for 1 hour, drain and set aside. Place the shiitake stems in a large pot, cover with cold water, cook over medium heat for 2 hours, drain and discard stems. Return the mushroom broth to a pot over high heat and reduce until it equals about 2 cups.
• In a large, ovenproof pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped shiitake and white mushrooms, the salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add the chicken and beef broths and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of milk and the farro, stir, partly cover and continue cooking over low heat for 1 hour, stirring often to avoid sticking.
• Remove half of the soup, process to a fine puree in a food processor in batches and then combine with the unprocessed soup over low heat. Adjust the consistency of the soup with more whole milk; the soup should be thick, but not globby. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with a dollop of mascarpone, several grinds of fresh pepper and a sprinkling of fresh thyme.

MUSHROOM BISQUE

Steps:

• Wash mushrooms and remove stems.
• Slice 6 of the mushroom caps and reserve.
• Discard any dried ends from stems.
• Grind or chop remaining mushroom caps and stems very fine.
• Add chopped mushrooms and chopped onion to broth and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Saute the reserved sliced caps in 1 Tablespoon of the butter and reserve for garnishing.
• Melt remaining butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and stir whisk until blended.
• Meanwhile, bring milk to a boil and add to the butter-flour mixture, stirring vigorosly with the whisk until sauce is smooth and thick.
• Add the cream and stir again.
• Combine the mushroom-broth mixture with the sauce and season to taste with salt, pepper and tabasco sauce.
• Reheat and add sherry just before serving.
• Garnish with reserved sauteed mushrooms.

FARRO WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND HERBS

Steps:

• Cook farro in boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, let cool, and set aside. DO AHEAD: Farro can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers (the oil needs to be very hot to crisp the mushrooms). Working in batches, add a single layer of mushrooms to skillet. Cook, turning once, until crisp and cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate; season with salt and pepper.
• Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add farro and cook, stirring often, until heated through. Season farro with salt and pepper. Add butter and stir vigorously to combine and create a creamy texture. Add mushrooms, parsley, chives, and thyme; stir just to evenly incorporate. Serve immediately.

ROASTED MUSHROOM BISQUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Toss mushroom in oil and place on baking pan.
• Roast mushrooms in the oven for 20-25 minutes, then remove from oven and roughly chop.
• Add mushrooms, chicken broth, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf to a pot and simmer for 1 hour.
• Melt butter in a separate saucepan on low heat, add flour to create a roux and stir frequently while the roux darkens slightly in color, approx 5 minutes.
• Slowly add half-and-half into the roux, continuing to stir.
• Remove bay leaf and thyme and add mushroom pot to a blender and puree until mixture is smooth. Then add mixture into a pot with the roux, stirring to incorporate.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately.

MUSHROOM BISQUE

Steps:

• In a 2-quart pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add mushrooms and onions and bring back to a simmer. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cover for at least 1 hour.
• Roux:
• In a separate large pot, melt the butter, then add the flour. Whisk until evenly incorporated. Continue to whisk while slowly adding half-and-half to the roux. Add bay leaf and stir constantly until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
• Add the mushroom broth to the roux and stir until evenly incorporated. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce, to taste. Serve immediately.