Cream of Mushroom Soup

Comforts of Home Cooking

In my humble opinion, few things come close to the comfort of a bowl of homemade soup on a cool day. Something about the way the aroma greets you as you walk in the door- perhaps the way the fragrance seems to carry further when it's cold- whatever it is, I have a weakness for soups.

  Paired with salad or bread, soups make a lovely lunch or light dinner- or even a post-appetizer/pre entree course, if you wish to be fancy. 

This dish is relatively easy to prepare- it is wonderful served as is, but I also use it as a supplement in other recipes which call for canned "cream of mushroom soup". 

Mushrooms have a wonderfully earthy, meaty quality to them. They have a subtly robust attribute that allows them to be the prima donna of a dish, or simply add a new dimension of flavor to other types of cuisine. 

 Cream of Mushroom Soup

Serves 4 as appetizer

Ingredients:
 4 cups fresh mushrooms - cleaned and chopped finely- I like to leave some larger pieces for more texture (I used Baby Portobellos but you can also use a mix of Monterey Mushrooms and Swiss Brown)
2 tbsp olive oil
5-7 cloves garlic - minced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
 2 bay leaves
 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cup chicken or vegetable stock (I use Better than Bouillon)
2 tbsp flour dissolved in 2 tbsp water 
Salt to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk (skim milk is fine)
Dash of nutmeg

                                      Dash of white wine

Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley or thyme for garnish

  

1). Heat olive oil in saucepan. 

                                      2). Add butter and garlic

3). Add in mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the moisture from the mushrooms disappears.

4) Add in chicken broth. Stir occasionally and bring to boils, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

5).Add diluted flour in, and stir constantly (while simmering) until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

6). Finally, add milk, wine and heavy cream, and bring to a simmer. Turn heat off.

6. Serve hot in your soup bowl. Add freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh Thyme.