Final decision and product: mushroom soup:
Based on ingredients on hand, I made mushroom soup, based loosely on this recipe:
http://macrobiotic.about.com/…/pu…/r/maitakemushroomsoup.htm
using the brown beech mushrooms and maitake mushrooms. There were quite a few substitutions, based on what I had on hand (I actually love tweaking recipes to make do with what I have):
4 ounces maitake (hen of the woods) mushrooms, chopped
[I used what was in the package - was about the size of a pint produce basket]
1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup hot water
[didn't have any, omitted, but added some extra water]
1/2 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, preferably creminis mixed with at least 6 ounces shiitakes
[used the brown beech mushrooms, also about the size of a pint produce basket]
3 tablespoons olive oil
[used garlic flavored olive oil]
2 large shallots, chopped
[had four small ones]
1 small leek, chopped
[a chunk of previously sliced, frozen leeks]
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
[a yellow onion]
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
[two small ones]
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
[used potato flakes to thicken the broth]
4 cups vegetable stock or water
[used chicken stock]
2 tablespoons tamari
[used soy sauce]
1 tablespoon cognac (optional)
[added the dregs of some rose port]
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Sea salt
I was supposed to puree the whole mess, but the fancy mushrooms were so pretty, I reserved the best parts of the tops, tied them up in cheese cloth, and cooked them in the broth, but pulled them out before pureeing the rest, then added the mushroom tops back to the soup.
