zuppa di porcini e patate
for 6
1.5 kg fresh porcini, carefully cleaned
2 kg Roseval, Linska or Desirée potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 garlic cloves, peeled
100 ml double cream
1 ciabatta loaf, cut into 6 slices at an angle
extra virgin olive oil
Simmer the potatoes in 1½ times their volume of salted water until they begin to break up, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, separate the porcini caps from the stalks and roughly chop the stalks and 4 of the garlic cloves together. Add to the cooked potatoes and their cooking water, and simmer together for 5 minutes. Using a potato masher or slotted spoon start to mash the potatoes into a pulp. Continue until potato and water have become a thick soup.
Slice across the porcini caps as finely as you can, then add to the soup. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir together for 2–3 minutes, allowing the porcini slices to infuse their flavours into the potatoes, but retain a little texture, being barely cooked.
Toast the crostini and rub with the remaining halved clove of garlic. Put a crostini in each serving bowl and spoon in the soup. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.