Smoky Mexican Oyster Mushroom Soup

Step 1

Heat a heavy pan (or comal) over medium heat. Add the chipotle peppers and toast for 2 minutes, turning occasionally. Place the toasted chilies in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.

Step 2

Place the dried epazote in a small bowl with 2 tbsp of warm water and set aside. If you have access to fresh epazote, you can skip this step and add the epazote as-is below.

Step 3

Gently wash the mushrooms, removing any overly soft or badly damaged bits. Cut the individual mushrooms from the central 'stem' portion. If any of the mushrooms are particularly large you can cut them into pieces, but bear in mind that they will decrease in size when cooked. Set the mushrooms aside and keep the cleaned central stem/stalk to flavour the soup.

Step 4

Trim the stems from the soaked chipotle peppers and remove the seeds (you can halve the peppers to do this). Add the chipotles, onions, garlic, and epazote (and soaking liquid) to a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of the liquid from soaking the chipotle peppers. Puree thoroughly. (Note that the woodier part of the epazote will not blend, but don't worry - you're going to strain this mixture later). If you're having trouble blending everything thoroughly, add a little bit of vegetable stock to the food processor.

Step 5

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pureed mixture from the previous step and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, 1 cup of water, bay leaves, and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 6

Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to another large pot and heat over medium-high. Add the mushrooms and saute until softened and browned; about 2-3 minutes. Strain the soup and pour it into the mushroom pot (this will deglaze the bottom of the pan and keep all the flavours together). Serve immediately, as is, or garnished with a little cilantro.(Note that using two large pots allows you to quickly strain the soup and continue cooking. If you don't have two large pots or dutch ovens, you can strain the soup, then cook the mushrooms in a pan, deglaze the pan with some of the soup, and add everything back into the original pot.)