Miso Mushroom Soup

Fresh spinach leaves and scallions brighten up a bowl of soothing miso
soup. You can make the soup with any type of miso, but darker types offer
a richer, more savoury flavour. From "Fresh: The Best of Fine Cooking,"
this recipe makes 2 servings and may be doubled.

2 dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed
3 cups cold water
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup medium-diced silken tofu
2 1/2 tablespoons miso (preferably red or brown)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green-onion tops
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

In a medium saucepan, combine the mushrooms with 3 cups cold water. Bring
to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and use a fork or tongs to
transfer mushrooms to a cutting board. As soon as the mushrooms are cool
enough to handle, trim off and discard the stems and slice the caps very
thinly. Return sliced mushrooms to pan. Bring back to a simmer, then
reduce to low. Let mushrooms steep 15 minutes (the water needn't be
simmering, but it's fine if it does). If you like their texture, leave the
mushrooms in; otherwise, fish them out and discard them. Bring mushroom
broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add spinach and tofu and simmer 1
minute. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine miso with 2 tablespoons
broth and mix well. Stir thinned miso into soup. Top each serving with 1
tablespoon green onions and 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil.



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