Latvian Potato-Wild Mushroom Soup
Recipe Description
Thick, rich, creamy, and laced with sweet paprika, crispy bacon, and pungent wild mushrooms. Oh my. It's really, really good. It's a proper meal in itself, served with good bread and salad.Ingredients
- 1 oz imported dried mushrooms rinsed, soaked in 1 cup warm water for an hour
- 5 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 russet potatoes peeled, cubed
- 4 slices bacon finely diced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp paprika#Sweet Hungarian paprika|sweet Hungarian paprika
- freshly-ground white pepper to taste
- chopped fresh dill for garnish
- Filter the mushroom liquid to remove impurities, then add it, the rest of the water, and the mushrooms to a large soup pot, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Add salt, reduce heat, then simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, raise heat to medium, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Fish out the mushrooms, let them cool for a minute, then chop them roughly and set to the side.
- Fry the bacon crisp in a separate skillet, then drain.
- Pour off all but a tablespoon of bacon grease and add the onion and mushrooms to it.
- Saute over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the mixture is nicely browned.
- Stir the bacon back into it.
- Meanwhile, puree the potatoes with a cup of broth, then whisk the potatoes back into the pot, beating hard to remove any lumps.
- When the bacon mixture is ready, bring the potato soup back to a simmer, add the cream, and let heat for several minutes, until the soup is about to boil.
- Stir in the mushrooms, bacon, and onion, season with paprika and pepper and adjust for salt.
- When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh dill.
- Serve hot to 6 to 8 people.
This article uses material from the "Latvian Potato-Wild Mushroom Soup" article on the Recipes wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License
