Czech potato soup with mushrooms and marjoram (Bramboračka)

1. Soak the dried porcini in 200 ml of lukewarm water (from the 1.5 litres) for 20 minutes; squeeze out, chop finely and strain the soaking water.

2. In a large pan sweat the finely chopped onion in the butter for 5 minutes until translucent, add the diced carrots, parsley root and celeriac and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add the peeled, diced potatoes, the mushrooms and caraway, pour in the rest of the water and the mushroom liquid, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

4. Whisk the flour smoothly with a little cold water, add to the soup and cook for 5 minutes until slightly thickened; for a thicker soup, press some of the potatoes against the side of the pan.

5. Take off the heat, stir in the crushed garlic and the marjoram rubbed between your palms, and leave covered for 5 minutes.

6. Serve hot with fresh rye bread.

Tip: Bramboračka is the "always to hand" soup of Czech households: its secret is dried wild mushrooms, garlic and plenty of marjoram – its flavour recalls Hungarian goulash soup, but without meat or paprika.