After going mushroom picking with my family, my great aunt made the most incredible mushroom soup. It smelled so warm and earthy and completely transformed mushroom soup for me! This is my attempt to recreate that meal and bring back some memories while utilizing some of those wild forest mushrooms.  Dried porcini mushrooms (or any dried wild mushrooms) that you find in most grocery stores have a deep, earthy flavor and should be the star of this dish.  You don’t need much to enhance the flavor!

Ingredients:

• 1 package crimini mushrooms
• 1 package white mushrooms
• Small handful of dried mushrooms

• 1 yellow onion
• 2 leeks
• 1 carrot
• 1 parsley root
• Green parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 32oz of chicken or vegetable stock (or you can make your own below)
• For chicken stock:
• 4-6 chicken legs
• 2 bay leaves * (you will use total of 2 bay leaves for this recipe whether you make stock or use store bought)*

Directions:

1. Rinse off dried mushrooms and then add to a cup of boiling water. Let them soak for about an hour or more. Keep the liquid!
2. If you are going to make your own chicken stock, fill half your pot with water.  Rinse chicken legs and add to pot with 2 bay leaves. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer for about an hour. 
3. In a separate, large pan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Dice onion and leeks and add to pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Coarsely shred in a food processor or on a box grater the mushrooms, carrot, and parsley root. Add to the pan of vegetables, still on medium-high heat.  Cook for about 7 minutes, or until the mushrooms and vegetables cook down a bit.
5. Chop the dried mushrooms that have soaked in hot water (keep that liquid!)
6. Add cooked vegetables to pot of stock and pour in liquid from the dry mushrooms. Add two bay leaves if you did not make your own stock. Bring temperature to medium-low heat and let everything simmer together for about an hour.
7. Take out chicken legs, which are delicious at this point.  Add salt, pepper and fresh chopped parsley and you are ready to go.  Sour cream is also a nice addition at the end!

*You can cook noodles separately and add them to your bowl of soup.