Rinse dried shiitake mushrooms and place them in a medium sized bowl. Add 3 cups boiling water and let soak for at least 20 minutes. Strain the mushrooms over a second bowl, pressing out and reserving all liquid. Pull off and discard the shiitake stems, then place the shiitake and fresh mushrooms together in a food processor and pulse until they are cut up into small pieces (coarsely chopped). Put all the mushrooms in a soup pot or aDutchen oven with the reserved mushroom-soaking water, 4 additional cups of water, and the salt, scallions, garlic, and 2 to 3 sprigs of thyme. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook gently for about 40 minutes. Line a strainer with two layers of clean cheesecloth and strain the soup into another pot. Serve the broth hot, possibly with some of the mushrooms, a few drops of sherry and/or chopped chives. Makes about 6 cups of a richly flavored broth in about 1 hour (20 minutes of work). PER SERVING without options: 74CAL, 0.5G fat (5.6% cff); 17.0G carbs. TIPS: If not using the broth immediately, strain into a container with lid and refrigerate. Save mushrooms: sandwich spreads, vegetable pies, quiches, omelette filles, rice, stirfries, mashed potatoes, casseroles etc. SUBSTITUTE 8 medium-sized fresh shiitakes; chop them together with the fresh domestic mushrooms and increase the cooking water to 6 cups. >Mollie Katzens Vegetable Heaven (1997: HYPERION 0786862688) Recipe by: Mollie Katzens Vegetable Heaven (1997) Posted to Digest eat-lf.v097.n008 by KitPATh on Jan 10, 1998