- 2 pounds assorted fresh wild mushrooms or specially cultivated mushrooms: morels, porcini (cèpes), hedgehogs, bear’s heads, portobellos, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, pleurottes, shiitake
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and crushed into a paste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves
- 1 quart consommé, full-flavored broth, dashi, or mushroom velouté
- Salt
- Pepper
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- CHECK the mushrooms carefully for sand and grit. If they need washing, rinse them quickly under running water and drain them immediately. Don’t let them sit in water, or they’ll get soggy.
- IF the mushrooms are small, leave them whole. Larger mushrooms may need to be sliced or cut into smaller pieces, but do your best to show off the natural shapes of the mushrooms, which make this soup so visually striking.
- STIR together the shallots, garlic, and parsley in a small mixing bowl. (The French call this mixture a persillade.)
- BRING the broth to a slow simmer and season it with salt and pepper.
- MAKE sure the mushrooms are perfectly dry and sauté them in the olive oil over high heat. Don’t put more than one layer of mushrooms in the pan at once, or they will release water and stew in their own juices.
- WHEN the mushrooms begin to brown and shrink slightly, after about 7 minutes, sprinkle the persillade over them and sauté for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper.
- LADLE the broth into wide soup bowls and arrange the mushrooms over the broth.