I went hiking in the woods yesterday on an Audubon Society field trip as an assistant trip leader. It was an overcast day and it poured on us toward the end of the trip. It was totally worth it though. Not only did we find over 60 species of birds (including my first of the year Louisiana Waterthrush), but I also collected my biggest haul of morels ever! Take a look at this!
Needless to say I was thrilled! I was not thrilled, however, by a bout of food poisoning I got that afternoon from a burrito. So, today I made a medicinal soup to ease my weary stomach. It's loosely based off a Thai spicy mushroom soup recipe that I have.
What you need:
1 large can of chicken broth (fish broth is the original recipe)
3 3-4" lemongrass stems sliced finely (or about 1 tbsp of the chopped stuff)
5-6 thinly sliced fresh ginger slices (original recipe calls for galangal, which is an oriental ginger and difficult to find, the ginger you get in the store works fine though, and if you get the chopped/ground stuff, use about 1 tbsp)
cheesecloth
1 tsp pickling spices
1 tsp Italian seasonings
10-12 small-medium morels, coarsely chopped (you want large chunks)
1 bunch green onion
1 bunch cilantro
Optional: thinly sliced chile peppers for heat
Cooking Instructions
1. Put your chicken broth into a medium sauce pan.
2. Take your ginger, spices, and lemongrass and wrap them in cheesecloth (chile peppers too if you want it spicy). You're basically making a giant tea bag. You can tie the top, or you can drape the open end over the side of the pot and hold it in place with the lid. Make sure the ingredients are resting in the broth though.
2. Simmer on low-medium heat for 1 hour.
3. After an hour, add your chopped mushrooms. Simmer for 15-25 minutes until tender.
4. Remove cheesecloth and throw away contents.
5. Add green onion greens and cilantro for garnish.
Enjoy!
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