Mushrooms are one of the best sources of antioxidants available and help slow down the ageing process. So I decided to try my hand at a nice mushroom soup recipe which would be especially welcome before dinner on these long cold nights!

It’s an old recipe, “Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup,” given to me by my mother.

You need:

1/2 cup dried mushrooms like porcini
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms -- sliced
1/2 large onion -- chopped
1/3 cup wild rice -- rinsed
salt and freshly ground pepper -- to taste
sour cream
chopped parsley, for garnish -- (optional)

You have to first soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for about 15 minutes. Meantime heat the stock in a saucepan and add the fresh mushrooms, onion and wild rice and let it simmer a bit.

Then take the dried mushrooms (keep the liquid in which they were soaked) and add to the soup. After straining the liquid add this also to the saucepan. Within about 30-40 minutes the wild rice should become tender after which you can season the soup with salt and pepper.

I served it in little bowls garnished with some sour cream and parsley. My husband, who rarely likes soup, really adored this recipe and like Oliver Twist kept asking for more!