Chinese-Style Mushroom Soup

I was inspired to make this soup when looking through one of my all time favorite cookbooks , The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest, and because some of the ingredients were a little too specialized for me, I've adapted it to work with things I normally keep in my kitchen.

I've been making it for years and years now, and it is really a favorite! Too bad fresh mushrooms are pricey here, or I'd make it almost every week.

Here's what you need:

Fresh mushrooms, sliced (at least 1 pint-size container, more is better though, if you can manage)
5-6 green onions, white and light green  portions (set aside the darker part for garnishing the soup), sliced
2-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
 olive oil for sauteeing
tamari sauce
vinegar
red wine
honey or sugar
crushed black pepper
water

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add green onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 5 min, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms. Stir occasionally, cook till reduced to about half. Add  tamari sauce (I used about 1/2 cup), some vinegar (I didn't measure, probably about 1/4 cup), and 1/4 cup red wine (I used the end of a bottle that had been open for a while). Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 min

Look at all those mushrooms!

this the pot simmering with tamari, vinegar, and wine... mmm

Then add 2 T. honey or sugar, and some black pepper (depends how spicy you want it). Stir well. Add several cups of water to fill your pot to at least 3/4 full. Bring to a boil. Five minutes before serving I toss in the reserved green onion tops (sliced thinly), cuz I won't serve raw onions of any kind at the moment. I don't do that on Shabbat though.

Taste it to be sure you don't need to add more Tamari sauce or vinegar. This soup should be very flavorful, I just don't know how big your soup pot is!

Enjoy!