Fatsup with Kohlrabi - Test 1

https://www.everydayhealthyrecipes.com/polish-kohlrabi-soup-zupa-z-kalarepy/#recipe

1 - I added bacon. The soup as written makes for a good base, but doesn't really stand out. With the rendered lardons, the added fat and umami make the flavour of the soup.

2 - I decided to name this for the famous Uberwaldean national dish. The bacon completely transforms this dish, and then there's butter added, so the new name is perfectly suitable! I didn't have fresh dill and added some dried dill weed instead, which was fine, but I'd really like to try it with the fresh stuff. I have not yet tried it with sour cream).

3 - Again very good, but Ben felt it had too much of a brassica tang and tried some soy sauce which seemed to work. I don't want to use soy sauce too much in my European cooking, so I would like to try something else that contains a lot of umami, such as mushrooms. What I propose is to soak shiitake mushrooms and use the broth as well as the mushroom, to see if the chewiness of the mushroom would work with the soup.

1-3 oz dried shiitake mushrooms

4 oz bacon cut into lardons

1 kohlrabi (150gr) peeled, cubed, leaves finely chopped

6oz/170g onion (1 medium) finely chopped

2oz/60g carrot (1 medium) peeled, cubed

7oz/200g potato (1 medium) peeled, cubed

1 Tbsp oil 

1L vegetable stock (just over 4 cups)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsps parsley, finely chopped 

2 Tbsps dill, finely chopped

1 Tbsp butter 

1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms in 500mL of boiling water for 20-30 minutes. Reserve the liquid! When easy to handle, cube the mushroom caps finely.
2. In a soup pot, over medium-low heat render the lardons until browned and crisped. 
3. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened.  Add the rest of the vegetables along with the parsley and cook for a few minutes stirring often, until they just start to soften.
4. Top up the shiitake liquor with water to get 500mL. Add another 500mL of vegetable stock, pepper to taste, stir, cover and bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in the chopped dill and cook for 3 more minutes. 
6. Remove from the heat, adjust the seasoning if needed, stir in a tablespoon of butter in each bowl and serve (either as it is or with a dollop of yogurt/sour cream).