Hot mushroom and Swiss dip

Makes 3 1/2 cups

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed under cold water to remove grit
1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 ounces assorted wild mushrooms, such as cremini and stemmed shiitake, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For dipping:
Broccoli florets, carrot sticks, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, zucchini slices

Soak dried mushrooms in hot water in a small bowl until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain in a sieve lined with moistened paper towels, reserving soaking liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they give off their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add chopped soaked mushrooms and their liquid and cook until liquid evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in shallots and thyme, and cook until shallots are softened, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, bring broth and milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, or use a microwave.

Sprinkle mushrooms with the flour, mixing well. Reduce heat to low and stir to cook the flour without browning, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in hot broth mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until the dip is lightly thickened and no raw flour taste remains, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in Swiss and Parmesan cheeses until melted. Season with salt and pepper. (The dip can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated. Reheat in a double boiler.)

Transfer to a heat-proof serving dish. Serve hot.

Per serving: 29 calories, 2g protein, 2g fat (1g saturated), 1g carbohydrate, 26mg sodium, 6mg cholesterol, no dietary fiber.

Recipes from the Collection of Mark and Danielle Hughes

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