Bok choy and mushroom soup

A cold-curer or just a cold weather-curer, this soup packs a punch with robust subtle – and not so subtle – Asian flavors.

I’ll let you in on a secret: my favorite part of the soup is not the bok choy or the mushrooms, it’s the addition of kimchi (one of my must-have favorite things) and shishito peppers.

The peppers are charred and roasted, and it takes a lot of willpower not to just each them with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt, though you could, of course, do that if you have extra peppers! Shishitos are not spicy – something like one in every twenty may be –

Tip: I used a mix of mushrooms – oyster, shitake, and baby portobellos – but you can use whatever you’d like. I think the generic ‘white mushrooms’ tend to lack any real flavor so I would not recommend those, if you have the option to go for something a little ‘wilder!’

Bok choy and mushroom soup

You’ll need:

• 1 pint chicken stock + 2 pints water
• 1 cup shishito peppers
• 1 bushel bok choy (approx 3 cups), chopped
• 5 T kimchi (try to get the kind that also has bok choy in it rather than daikon etc.)
• 2 cups of a mix oyster, shitakee, baby bella mushrooms, washed and chopped
• salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Bring stock and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Heat up a large pan and dry roast the mushrooms until fragrant and lightly browned.

2. Take mushrooms off of heat and set aside. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and turn heat to medium-high. Cook the peppers until they are bubbly and charred on all sides, turning often.

3. Take the stalks off of the peppers. In a food processor, combine the peppers, bok choy, cooked mushrooms, kimchi, and a ladle of stock. Chop roughly – I do not get this soup to the state of a puree, but you could if you wanted to – until just smooth.

{sidenote: how beautiful is this new ladle from Foxy and Winston in Red Hook? If you’re in town, go visit them and Hope, the beagle, who has the run of the shop.}

4. Add the greens and mushroom mixture to the stock, mix vigorously to combine well. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer. Cover and take off of heat.