Mushroom soup

Slovenia, an Alpine country with excellent mixes of tastes, has a variety of Austrian and Italian influences, with rich domestic mountainous cuisine and peasant heavy food. I don't know why (I know, but I will not tell, ha ha ha) but it seems that most popular place to eat in Ljubljana is a restaurant serving Balkan fast food – kebab and varieties of the same.
Among other things which I like to try every time when I visit Slovenia, of which I will write again, excellence is achieved in using mushrooms. As a country covered with Alpine woods, Slovenia is rich in mushrooms and can be named, along with Czechs and Germans as „a mushroom nation“ using it in everyday meals, from egg omelettes to salads and soups. Mushrooms are often mixed, regarded as best tastes from mushrooms. Aromatic mushrooms are used as spices, but Slovenian chefs advice; „Also best mushroom chef can be wrong, but only once“.

Mushroom soup as served in front of me in Vodnikov hram

Mushroom soup is my favorite. Last time I was in Ljubljana I ate in highly touristic place which I tend to avoid. But, I was surprised for a quite good food in Vodnikov hram (Vodnik's temple) on Vodnik square, just below Ljubljana castle. We had a really nice lunch, full of calories and with excellent sauces, with distinctively sweet Middle European charm. Mushroom soup is served in bread bowl (don't eat it, otherwise they'll think you're a maniac) and it is perfect. The only better one I've tasted was on Slovenia – Austrian border in little town of Tržič. Real mushroom gurus say that one has to use different kinds of mushrooms for soup too, but you would have to be very acquainted with mushrooms to get the real taste. Slovenians use mostly grey chanterelle.
I have found an old recipe in Slovenian how to make mushroom soup. We chop and cook five potatoes in one litre water where we have added salt and bay leaf. On margarine mushrooms are briefly simmered. When potatoes are done, mushrooms are added and cooked for few minutes. If you think soup is too thick, as some water. When soup is almost done, put inside three table spoons of sour cream. Soup is really good and makes your spirit high, especially if you have drink night before...