For 6–8
75 g (3 oz) dried funghi porcini
2 red onions, peeled
1 head celery
2 carrots, peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
2 small dried red chillies, crumbled
1 × 1.85 kg (4.1/4 lb) tin peeled plum tomatoes, plus their juices
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 crostini (see here)
extra virgin olive oil
100 g (4 oz) Parmesan, freshly grated
Place the porcini in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 15 minutes.
Roughly chop the onions. Remove and discard the tough outer stalks from the celery, and cut the tender heart and green leaves into small pieces. Cut the carrots roughly into 1 cm (1/2 in) slices. Slice the garlic finely.
Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and gently fry the onion with the celery and carrot until soft and lightly coloured. Add the thyme, garlic, parsley and chilli, and continue to fry, stirring to combine the flavours. The longer you cook at this stage, the better the flavour of the soup will be.
Drain the porcini, keeping the soaking liquid, and add the porcini to the onion and celery. Fry together for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes (but not the juice), one by one. Break them up with a spoon and stir into the onion mixture. When the tomatoes have begun to thicken – this will take about 30–45 minutes – add a little of the tomato juice and the strained reserved porcini water. Stir and cook together gently for about another 30 minutes. Your soup should be thick. Season with salt and pepper.
Place a crostini in each soup bowl, then ladle in the soup. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.