¼ cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion diced
10 garlic cloves minced
¾ cup chopped fresh fennel bulb
1 ½ cup chopped wild mushrooms (shitake, oyster or chanterelle)
8 roma tomatoes diced
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound drained small oysters with the liquid reserved
Kosher salt
Coarse black pepper
- Heat a heavy bottom soup pot on medium high heat and add the olive oil, a few pinches of salt, onion, garlic and fennel bulb.
- Sauté this mixture until it begins to soften.
- Add the mushrooms and parsley and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the roma tomatoes and sauté until very soft.
- Stir in the white wine and reserved oyster liquid. Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and bring back to a low simmer.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the oysters and cook until they begin to curl, about 2 minutes
- Ladle into warm bowls and serve.
This rich stew is great served on a cold autumn night with some nice crusty lightly toasted Italian or French bread drizzled with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Pair this with a light dry Italian white wine.