I created this for an article in Bon Appetit magazine. It starts with a base of inexpensive button mushrooms (or small brown cremini), then a few of the exotic ones are sauteed to go on top. A crunchy hazelnut gremolata gives texture contrast. You can use any wild mushrooms in the market, from chanterelles to fresh porcini to shiitake.

Photo credit: Stephen Lewis for Bon Appetit

1/2 ounce-package dried porcini

4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 pound regular or cremini mushrooms, sliced
salt
3 cups vegetable broth

12 ounces wild mushrooms, such as chanterelle, fresh porcini, or shiitake

hazelnut gremolata
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 organic orange
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled hazelnuts (see note)
salt
1/3 cup olive oil 

Put dried porcini in a bowl and pour 1 cup steaming hot water over them. Set aside to soak.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a soup pot and add onion and carrot; cook over medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the 1 pound sliced mushrooms and a good pinch of salt. Cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms soften and give off some liquid, then add the broth and bring to a boil. Strain the soaked porcinis through a coffee filter into a measuring cup, then add the strained liquid to the soup pot. Roughly chop the porcinis and add them to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer soup, covered, until flavors blend, about 20 minutes.

While soup is cooking, wipe any dirt from the gills or caps of the wild mushrooms with a damp paper towel; trim off dry ends of stems (if using shiitakes, discard stems). Slice or chop wild  mushrooms and set aside.

Make gremolata: put parsley and garlic on a board, then grate the zest of the orange right over them. With a knife, mince all together. Transfer to a small bowl with the nuts and olive oil; add salt to taste and more olive oil if necessary to make the mixture moist enough to drizzle. Set aside. In a wide frying pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and add the chopped wild mushrooms and a pinch of salt; saute until slightly browned at edges. Remove from heat and set aside (do not add to soup pot).