Christmas - Part 2 - Enoki Mushroom Soup with Black Truffles

Enoki mushrooms are long thin white mushrooms that you'll find at most Asian grocers.  Generally used in soups, they're primarily a garnish or a textural element in light dishes.  Flavour?  Oh, it's there, but it's very subtle.  Subtle is good for truffles.  Very good.  In order to even get a hint of these delightful mushrooms, however, you have to use a lot of them.

Making the Chicken Stock

We all know how to make stock right?  Simmer some chicken carcasses with your mirepoix (carrot, celery, onions), toss in a satchet d'epices (black pepper, thyme, bay leaf, parsley stems).  Never fully cover the chicken.  You're not boiling them either, you're simmering them with the water about halfway up.  You 

The recipe for an Asian-style stock uses the same formula, but takes some green onion ends and a sizable chunk of peeled and bruised (bang it with the side of your knife) ginger.  If you've got them, toss in a whack of those cheap dried shitake mushrooms that come in large sacks at the Asian markets.

My Chicken stock went something like this:

7 chicken carcasses
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
1 fresh bay leaf
1 tbsp black pepper
6 sprigs thyme
10 green onion tops
2 inch piece of bruised ginger
3 star anise

Water to partially cover the chicken
Simmered for 3 hours, but never to a boil


Enoki Mushroom Soup

800 grams of Enoki
8 cups of stock
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp shoju (or chinese cooking wine)
1 tbsp mirin
1 large sprig of thyme (to be removed at the end)
1 cup cream
Truffle - more is better, obviously - a substitute might be a dash of truffle oil, but I'm not a huge fan of the truffle oil

First, I clean my enoki mushrooms, by chopping off the dirt-blackened bottoms removing any soggy bits, and then giving them a good rinse.  I toss them in the blender with the stock, and then toss them in a pot with the other ingredients. Heat the soup and simmer for 5 mins prior to serving.  Serve with shaved truffle on top.