Cream of Mushroom Soup

[phatj]

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Serves 8 as Soup.

I created this recipe to use with in a from-scratch version of the holiday standard green bean casserole (my casserole recipe). It's actually a little too mushroomy for that application (the mushroom flavor overwhelms the beans), but darn tasty by itself.

• 1 T olive oil
  
• 3 T butter or olive oil
  
• 2 shallots, minced
  
• 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
  
• 8 oz white button mushrooms, chopped
  
• 8 oz cremini or portobello mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
  
• 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded
  
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme or .5 tsp ground dried thyme
  
• 3 tsp flour
  
• 1 c heavy cream
  
• 1 c milk
  

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. In a bowl, pour 1 c very hot water over dried porcinis. Let steep for 1/2 hour.

3. In a bowl, toss cremini and shiitake caps with 1 tbsp oil. Spread caps on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and roast for 30 minutes, tossing once.

4. In a large saute pan, melt butter or heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots, sprinkle with salt, and saute until softened, about three minutes. Add chopped mushrooms, 1/2 tsp pepper and thyme, sprinkle with salt, and cook about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid given off by the mushrooms has evaporated.

5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 3 tbsp flour and cook, stirring well, about five minutes.

6. Increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add cream, stirring constantly to prevent lumps, then add milk. Bring to a simmer.

7. Remove porcinis from water and set aside. Strain water through a paper towel or coffee filter into soup.

8. Roughly chop porcinis and roasted cremini and shiitake caps and add to soup. Simmer for five minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Keywords: Vegetarian, Easy, Soup

( RG1889 )