Originally published on September 5, 2014
Cream of mushroom soup can be more than just a great meal (and this one is truly great!), it can also be stored in your freezer along with your stock and used as an ingredient in any dish that calls for it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned away a recipe because it calls for pre-made ingredients such as cream of mushroom soup. No, I can stop doing that and so can you, when you make your very own and still have everything made completely from scratch. But before you go filling your freezer, make sure you at least have a bowl or two of this creamy soup – it’s delicious!
Ingredients:
3 cups sliced mushrooms, plus 1 cup
1 onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 – 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 – 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
1.) Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pot and set over medium heat. When it has melted and the foam has subsided add the celery, onion, garlic, and 3 cups of mushrooms. Stir to completely coat everything in the fat and then cook for about 10 minutes, until everything has softened and mushrooms are just starting to brown. (With this many mushrooms, I found it impossible to get them all to brown – let alone brown evenly, so just wait until some start to brown and then move on with the rest of the soup.) Stir the pot regularly to ensure that all vegetables are as evenly cooked as possible, then add thyme, salt, and pepper.
2.) Sprinkle all-purpose flour over all the vegetables, stir to completely coat, and allow the flour to cook out for about 2 or 3 minutes. Then add the stock, stirring constantly. Turn heat to medium-high and let the soup come up to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer and allow all ingredients to cook together for about 20 minutes. Taste regularly, and adjust seasoning as necessary.
3.) While the soup is simmering, pour two tablespoons of olive oil in a separate skillet and place over medium heat. When hot add the remaining cup of sliced mushrooms and stir to coat them entirely in the fat. Cook for about 5 – 7 minutes, until they are really carmalized (you should be able to get them quite a bit darker as there aren’t that many of them in this pot.) When mushrooms are nicely browned, remove them from the heat, salt them, and set aside.
4.) When soup has finished simmering, turn heat down to low, add the cream, and stir to fully incorporate it. Keep soup on the heat as long as it takes to completely warm the whole thing through, about 3 or 5 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
5.) When ready to serve, remove soup pot from the heat and ladle into bowls. Garnish with the carmalized mushrooms and the chopped parsley.
6.) Serve and enjoy!