Gombaleves is one of those everyday dishes that are hardly known abroad, even though they are a staple of Hungarian cuisine. Unlike goulash or paprikás, this mushroom soup is not a signature dish, but a genuine family meal – vegetarian, simple, yet rich in the flavours that characterise Hungarian cooking: sweet paprika, the characteristic tang of tejföl (sour cream) and the earthy, slightly sweet flavour of parsley root.
Historically, wild forest mushrooms were used to make Gombaleves – mushroom foraging has a long tradition in Hungary. In modern everyday cooking, button mushrooms have become the norm, simply because they are available all year round. Some recipes thicken the soup with a roux (Rántás), but we prefer the lighter version, in which the soup is bound at the very end with a mixture of sour cream and starch.
You could make the soup with water, but as always, it will have more flavour if you use stock. You could use a good-quality instant stock, but we’ve got the time, so we’ll make our own. Simply wash carrot, celeriac, leek, parsley and onion (with the skin on), cut them roughly and simmer for 45 minutes without adding any salt, then strain.
Of course, you’ll need mushrooms; today we’re using button mushrooms and chanterelles, but king oyster mushrooms and the exquisite porcini mushrooms are also ideal. We’ve explained how to clean chanterelles here.
The ideal root vegetables for this dish are carrot and parsley root. It is the latter in particular that gives this soup its characteristic, slightly sweet flavour and blends beautifully with the earthy taste of the mushrooms and the slight tang of sour cream. If you cannot get hold of parsley roots, use parsnip (but use less, as it has a very strong flavour) and/or celeriac.
Onion is a must, garlic is optional.
Dice the onion and sauté in butter or neutral oil over a medium-high heat until it begins to brown. This takes about 5 minutes.
Next come the carrot and parsley root: slice the thinner ones and dice the thicker ones. You want recognisable, larger pieces that still fit comfortably on a spoon. Sauté the root vegetables for a further 5 minutes until they give off a strong aroma. If using garlic, chop it finely and add it for just the last minute; it should not brown.
In many recipes, mushrooms are now added and sautéed with the vegetables, but we do it differently.
Season the vegetables with sweet paprika – ideally the excellent Hungarian variety – a little salt and black pepper. Add a very small amount of ground caraway, though this spice can be omitted if you prefer. Then pour in the stock and leave it to simmer gently for a good 10 minutes, until the root vegetables are cooked and the flavours have blended together.
Whilst this is happening, gently fry the mushrooms in a non-stick frying pan without adding any liquid, so that they release their moisture and their flavour intensifies. Slice or chop large button mushrooms; leave smaller ones whole. They take about 5 minutes over a medium-high heat.
The more delicate chanterelles, on the other hand, only need about 3 minutes, so we cook them separately.
Only once the root vegetables are cooked do we add the fried mushrooms to the stock; this ensures that every ingredient is cooked to perfection and gives you full control over each component.
In a bowl, mix the sour cream with a little starch and stir until smooth. Then thin this mixture with one or two ladles of stock, partly to bring the temperature to the right level…
…add this to the pan and heat everything up again until it’s just below boiling point. You shouldn’t let the soup boil anymore, otherwise the sour cream will curdle. If this happens, or if the soup isn’t thick enough for your liking, you can mix a teaspoon of starch in a little cold water until smooth, add it to the soup and heat it through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and perhaps a dash of white wine vinegar, and serve with chopped parsley to taste.
Enjoy.
And may the taste be with you.
Ingredients (for 4 people):
Vegetable stock (alternatively, use good-quality instant stock):
1.8 l water
500 g soup greens (celeriac, carrot, leek, possibly parsley root and flat-leaf parsley)
1 onion, unpeeled
Mushroom soup:
2 tbsp butter, or alternatively neutral vegetable oil
1 onion
500–600 g mushrooms, preferably mixed (button mushrooms, chanterelles, king oyster mushrooms, supplemented with seasonal varieties)
150 g carrots
150 g parsley root (alternatively: celeriac and/or parsnip)
Optional: 1–2 garlic cloves
2–3 tsp paprika (sweet)
Optional: ½ tsp ground caraway
Salt and pepper
1.6 l vegetable stock
4 tbsp sour cream
2 tsp cornflour
Parsley, finely chopped
Optional: a splash of white wine vinegar
