Wild Mushroom Soup with Port

Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes until reconstituted and set aside. Retain the soaking liquid. Place the butter in a saucepan and melt over a gentle heat. Add the diced onion and saute with the garlic until brown. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and saute for a further 5-6 minutes. Now add the washed and trimmed wild mushrooms and saute again, stirring regularly, for another 3-4 minutes. Next, add the dried mushrooms and pour in the liquid they have been soaking in, using a piece of muslin to catch any remaining grit. Add half the port and continue to cook, adding some of the stock and allowing it to reduce by about a half. Then blend the soup in an electric blender until smooth and return to the pan. Now add the double cream and bring gently to the boil. Add the remaining port and continue to simmer for a couple of minutes. Finally pour in the remaining stock, add the mustard, adjust the seasoning, stir well and serve. NOTES : This is a good way of making a relatively small number of wild and dried mushrooms go a long way. It is a very rich soup and you wont need huge quantities of it.