Last Night's Dinner

Still cooking my way through the local Fall vegetables at Falkowski's (Scuttlehole Road and Millstone in Bridgehampton). I've been on a roasting kick, but my family thought roasted broccoli would be weird (for the record, I strongly disagree ...), so I made this soup. The sauteed shiitake mushrooms piled in the center of the bowl (an idea I got from this Fredy Girardet recipe) give it some welcome earthiness. You can use white button mushrooms or creminis if you like. Here's the recipe:

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Wild Mushrooms

Serves 4

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 bunch broccoli, stems and florets chopped into ½-inch pieces

2 cups low-sodium canned chicken broth

2 cups water

5 ounces shiitake or other flavorful wild mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

Salt

¼ cup heavy cream

1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallot and cook on medium until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the chopped broccoli, broth, and water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the broccoli is soft, about 15 minutes. Puree in batches and return to the pot. Stir in salt to taste and the heavy cream. Cover to keep warm.

2. While the broccoli is cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms an ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’ve given up their liquid and most of it has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

3. Puree the soup in a blender in batches and put in a clean pot. Stir in salt to taste and the heavy cream. Ladle soup into bowls and place some hot mushrooms in the center of each bowl. Serve immediately.