English field mushroom soup with scallops and wild mushrooms

by Marcus Wareing from Great British Menu Serves 8

Preparation timeless than 30 mins

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Cooking time10 to 30 mins  

Ingredients

1 kg/2lb 3¼ oz wide-cap field mushrooms150ml/5¼ fl oz olive oil2 garlic cloves, chopped3 large shallots, choppedsalt and freshly ground black pepperjuice of ½ a lemon1 litre/2 pints vegetable or chicken stock, hot250ml/8¾ fl oz double cream150g/5¼ oz unsalted butter, diced (optional)200g/7½ oz mixed wild mushrooms 8 large King scallops, fresh if possible (cleaned)

Method

1. Remove the dark gills from the mushrooms and discard them. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper, then slice.2. Heat one-third of the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Add the shallots and cook until softened too. 3. Add the sliced field mushrooms, season with salt and freshly black pepper, and cook for 5-8 minutes over a medium to high heat.4. Add the lemon juice and stir in, then add the stock. Simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary.5. Ladle the soup into a liquidiser and blend to a smooth purée. Pass the soup through a fine sieve, using the ladle to push it through. Discard the contents of the sieve. 6. Add the cream to the soup and stir. Return the soup to a low heat and stir in the diced butter if using. Keep warm.7. Clean the wild mushrooms with kitchen paper. Heat another third of the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms until cooked through. Season with salt to taste.8. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen paper to drain.

9. To prepare the scallops, cut each one horizontally in half with a sharp knife. Heat the remaining olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.10. Season both sides of the scallops with a little salt and gently place each scallop half into the pan, cut-side down. Shake the pan a little to ensure they don't stick and cook for about one minute, before carefully turning over with a palette knife. Cook for another 30 seconds. 11. Carefully remove the scallops from the frying pan and drain them on kitchen paper.12. To serve, put a small mound of mushrooms in the middle of eight wide-rimmed soup bowls, place the scallops on top and pour the soup over.