This recipe from Maldon Salt is part of their “Feel Good Food” series in collaboration with chef Olia Hercules.
Olia says: “In Ukraine, we would have some sort of broth pretty much every day. There is something so wholesome, especially when it involves mushrooms.
“This is like a beautiful canvas. You can always add other herbs you like as well as chillies or crispy ginger and garlic, brown rice or buckwheat groats instead of the noodles; bulked up with kale or chard – so good for your health and also for the soul.”
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Mushroom broth
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
- 50g dried mushrooms
- 2 onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large carrot, grated on the rough side of the grater
- 100g kale or other dark green leaves, finely chopped
- 200g buckwheat noodles
- 15g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- A handful of fresh mushrooms
- Lots of dill and parsley, finely chopped
Method
- Put the mushrooms into a bowl and cover with 500ml of hot water, cover with a plate and leave for at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and dice one of the onions. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and sweat the onions over a medium low heat until soft and translucent. Add the carrot and sweat some more until starting to caramelise gently. Add the chopped kale and cook for about three to five minutes.
- When the mushrooms look plump, pick them out with a slotted spoon and carefully pour the liquid into the pot with the onion and carrot, making sure to leave any grit behind. Add the rehydrated mushrooms in too, add a litre of water and one whole, peeled onion. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
- I cook the noodles separately, according to the packet instructions and toss them in a tiny bit of oil once they are drained.
- Sometimes, I also fry some mushrooms in butter to use as a topping. I roughly chop the garlic and then crush using Maldon salt and the side of a knife. Then I simply heat the butter and add the mushrooms, cook until nice and brown, then stir through the crushed garlic and cook for a minute.
- To serve put some noodles into a bowl and top with the broth, scatter some fried garlicky mushrooms on top and finish with the herbs.
