Mushroom soup with CROÛTES

INGREDIENTS

SOUP

2 onions

olive oil

1 organic chicken or vegetable stock cube

½ a bunch of fresh thyme

2 cloves of garlic

4 large portobello mushrooms

100 g basmati rice

1 tablespoon single cream

1 teaspoon truffle oil

CROÛTES

8 chestnut mushrooms

1 ciabatta loaf or sliced bread

1 clove of garlic

1 apple or pear

½ a bunch of fresh curly parsley

50 g melting cheese

1 small handful of shelled walnuts

METHOD

1. Peel, halve and finely slice the onions and put them into the large pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

2. Crumble in the stock cube, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, strip in the thyme leaves and squash in 2 cloves of garlic through a garlic crusher.

3. De-stalk the chestnut mushrooms and place the tops on the griddle pan, turning when charred.

4. Tear the chestnut stalks and portobellos into the onion pan, add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in 1 litre of boiling water and boil with the lid on.

5. Cut 4 slices of ciabatta at an angle and add to the griddle pan. When charred on both sides, rub with a halved garlic clove.

6. Coarsely grate or slice the apple into matchsticks and toss with the roughly chopped parsley.

7. Place the chestnut mushrooms on the toasts, crumble over the cheese and walnuts, and then pop under the grill until the cheese is melted.

8. Use the stick blender to purée the soup to a consistency you like, then season to taste, if needed, and swirl in the cream and truffle oil.

9. Top the toasts with pinches of apple and parsley and serve on the side.