Red wine and mushroom soup

The idea for this soup came to me a couple of weeks ago. I had leftover red wine from a dinner with friends that I had to use up and a bucket of mushrooms in the fridge.

Here's what I came up with. Hope you'll like this recipe and try it at home!



INGREDIENTS (4 people):
- 1x 8oz bucket of cremini mushrooms
- 3/4 cups red wine
- 4 cups broth (I used beef, but feel free to use chicken or vegetable broth)
- 1 small onion (or 1/2 medium)
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- a splash of olive oil
- salt, pepper to taste
- a sprig of thyme (not pictured)
- 3 rashes of thick cut bacon, finely chopped (not pictured)
- optional: dried porcini mushrooms (I just did not have any on hand, but would have added it to the soup had I had some!)


RECIPE:
- optional: if you have dried porcini on hand, rehydrate them with 1/2 cup boiling water and let them steep for 30 minutes, then drain them thoroughly, chop them and reserve the liquid
Note: using rehydrated porcini mushrooms will add a deep earthy mushroomy flavor to this soup. I highly recommend splurging :) 
- peel and dice the potatoes and onion in 1/4 inch cubes and slice the mushrooms thinly

- in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and a sprinkle of salt and saute until nice and golden

Note: at first, they will render a LOT of moisture and start to steam. This is perfectly normal and when the moisture evaporates, they will eventually become crispy and golden.
- when the mushrooms are cooked, add the onions and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent

Note: if you are using rehydrated porcini mushrooms, add them at this stage
- deglaze with the wine, then add the potatoes, thyme and broth and bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat

Note: if you are using rehydrated porcini, add the reserved liquid at this stage
- lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender

- while the soup is cooking, crisp up the sliced bacon in a skillet and reserve on a paper towel

- when the potatoes are cooked through, pour out 1 to 2 cups of soup in a small container and using a stick blender, puree until smooth then return the pureed soup to the bigger pot

Note: this is an optional step that thickens the soup and adds a creamy texture without adding any cream, flour or cornstarch
- sprinkle a spoonful of crispy bacon on top and enjoy!

Mushroom ravioli

Fun! Fun! Fun times it is to make your own ravioli! Mine are largely inspired from this original recipe.

INGREDIENTS (for the filling, 2-3 people)

- 1 pack dried porcini mushrooms (1/2 ounce)

- 4 oz fresh cremini mushrooms (portobello or ceps would work really well too), chopped finely

- 1 tbsp evoo

- 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

- 2 small cloves of garlic, chopped finely (if you don't like chunks of garlic, you can grate it)

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

- 1 egg yolk

- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (whole milk will make a silkier, creamier filling than low-fat)

RECIPE:

- cover the dried porcini in boiling water and let soak until soft (about 10-15 minutes should be enough).

- drain the soaking liquid and either discard, or reserve (if you want to use it in a sauce for example).

- squeeze out any residual liquid from the mushrooms (otherwise the filling will be too moist and the resulting ravioli will be soggy and won't hold their shape).

- finely chop the reconstituted porcini and reserve.

- in a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high and saute the fresh cremini for a few minutes. They will release a lot of moisture.

- let the moisture evaporate, but keep an eye on the skillet so the mushrooms don't burn!

- add the porcini, parsley, garlicsalt and pepper and cook for another minute. Reserve in a bowl.

- when the mushroom mixture is cool, mix in the egg yolk and the ricotta. 

- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

- for information on how to make and roll your fresh pasta dough, I refer you to my AP flour recipe or my semolina recipe :) a little self-promotion can't hurt ;)

MAKING THE RAVIOLI: 

- I use two different methods to make the ravioli: (1) with a ravioli tray and (2) with ravioli stamps. The ones I use are very similar to those here, here and here.

The ravioli tray: 

- Lay a sheet of pasta on the heavily (really heavily) floured tray, and lightly press in each well (be careful not to pierce the dough with sharp nails!).

- Scoop some filling into each well, about the size of a large pea. If you put too much, it will be a hot mess when you try to roll the top pasta sheet, believe me!

Note: I put WAY too much in this photo, but you get the idea.

- Lay another pasta sheet on top.

- Carefully seal the two pasta sheets together by applying pressure with a rolling pin.

- Ta-da!!!

The ravioli stamps:

- Lay a sheet of pasta on a floured flat surface.

- Put small spoonfuls of filling on the pasta sheet, leaving about an inch between each. 

- Wet the pasta sheet with your finger or a small brush and place a second sheet of pasta on top of the filling. Carefully press with your fingers and try to chase any air trapped inside the ravioli.

Note: if there is too much air inside a ravioli, it will explode when you cook it and the filling will just disperse in the water.

- Using a ravioli stamp, just cut out any shape you want. 

- You can either cook your fresh ravioli right away in a large pot of boiling water (about 2-3 minutes, or until they float back to the surface), or freeze the ravioli on a flat tray. When they are hardened enough, you can put the pasta in a container, or bag, and keep them in the freezer until ready to use :)

- Have fun!!!