- 2 Tbsp olive oil add 1 more Tbsp if needed
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots grated
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 quarts chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 5-6 medium potatoes peeled and diced
- 12 oz thin noodles about 1½ cups
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt Morton, adjust to your broth (Note 4)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- ½ cup fresh dill chopped
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Peel and scrape. Rinse 4 lb mushrooms under running water, peel the stems with a Y peeler, and scrape off the roots and any dark spots.
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Cut in half and check. No worm holes means the mushroom is clean; skip the soak. Cut away a few small holes. If there are many, soak in cold salted water for about 30 minutes (Note 3).
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Check the sponge. Leave a thin, white sponge on. Scoop out a yellow or thick sponge (Note 2).
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Chop. Chop into pieces a little bigger than bite-size.
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To boil: Bring 6 quarts water to a boil with 1 medium onion, 1 bay leaf, 6-8 whole black peppercorns, and 1 carrot. Add the mushrooms and boil for 5 minutes.
To sauté: Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and add the mushrooms over medium-high heat. Keep cooking until their moisture evaporates and they turn deep golden. -
Lift out the mushrooms. If boiled, lift the mushrooms out with a sieve (don't pour the pot through a strainer; impurities settle at the bottom). Save 4 cups of the cooking water and discard the rest with the onion and spices. If sautéed, use 4 cups of extra broth instead.
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Heat the broth. In a clean soup pot, bring 4 quarts chicken broth to a boil.
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Caramelize onion and carrots. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet and cook 1 medium yellow onion until golden. Add 2 medium carrots and cook 5-7 minutes. Add 4 garlic cloves for the last minute (or save it for the cream step). If you sautéed the mushrooms, cook the onion and carrots with them for a few minutes.
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Add potatoes, noodles, and mushrooms. Add 5-6 medium potatoes, 12 oz thin noodles, the mushrooms, 2 Tbsp kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and the 4 cups of mushroom water. Once it boils again, cook about 5 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
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Add onion and carrots. Stir the caramelized onion and carrots into the pot.
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Add the cream. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and bring the soup back to a boil. If you saved the garlic, stir it in now.
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Add Parmesan, then dill. Stir in ½ cup grated Parmesan, then ½ cup fresh dill. Don't boil after adding the dill.
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Cover and rest. Cover, remove from the heat, and let the soup rest for 30 minutes. Serve warm.
1. Mushrooms: Wild porcini or baby bella (cremini) mushrooms both work. Fresh, already-cooked, or pressure-canned mushrooms all work; for cooked or canned, skip the cooking step and add them with the potatoes. Never pick mushrooms you're not 100% sure about.
2. Porcini sponge: A thin, white sponge under the cap means a young mushroom; leave it on. A yellow or thick sponge turns slimy in soup, so scoop it out.
3. Salt-water soak: Only needed if the cut mushrooms show worm holes. The salt water draws out anything hiding inside. Store-bought mushrooms never need it.
4. Salt: Broths vary in saltiness. Start with half, taste after the rest, and add more as needed.
5. Make ahead: Boil the mushrooms a day ahead and refrigerate them and the saved mushroom water separately.
6. Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days. The noodles soak up broth, so loosen with a splash of broth when reheating. Freeze the boiled mushrooms (not the finished soup) for up to 3 months.