Man, I tell you this Colorado weather has to be one of the craziest things I have ever experienced.
Let me back it up a bit and explain, ok. So yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day, it was sunny, there was no wind, and the temperature was sitting in the more than comfortable high 60’s to low 70’s range.
However, this morning I woke up to the “pleasant” surprise that a heavy snowstorm had come in. Now it’s overcast, there’s heavy wind, and the temperatures are sitting in the not so comfortable low 20’s to high teens range.
I mean overnight we went from wearing t-shirts to having a bonafide winter wonderland outside. Like I said it’s crazy.
But I’m not the type of man that is going to let something like a snow day put me down. You have to look at the bright side of things in life, and for me, the bright side of a snow day is that it’s a great excuse to whip up some warm and comforting soup.
But what soup to make?
Oh, I know, how about cream of mushroom. It’s easy to make, It’s very comforting, and most importantly it can be made in about 30 to 40 minutes time. So if that sounds like a good deal to you then let’s move on to the recipe
Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
Prep time: 10
Cook Time: 20 to 30
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
1½ Lbs of fresh brown mushrooms, cut into ¼ inch slices
1 oz. of dried mushrooms, any kind that you want
1 Large onion, brown or yellow, minced
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
6 Cups of chicken stock, or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version
½ Cup of heavy cream
½ Cup of dry wine, red or white
4 Tablespoons of butter
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
¼ Teaspoon of dried thyme
¼ Teaspoon of dried tarragon
Salt & pepper to taste
For thickener
½ Cup of flour
½ Cup of water
Optional
1 Tablespoon of beef bouillon*
*This ingredient isn’t necessary, but I do find that it makes the soup taste richer.
Instructions
- Rehydrate the dried mushrooms: Get out a medium-sized bowl, place the dried mushrooms in it, and cover the mushrooms with at least 3 cups of hot water. Set this aside to soak for 30 minutes.
- Sautee: Get out a large pot and add in the butter and olive oil. Place this over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and then add in the onion, sauteing them for 3 to 5 minutes or until they begin to become translucent.
Then add in the minced garlic and saute it for another minute. Finally add in the fresh mushrooms, tarragon, and thyme, and continue to saute everything for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the wine and stock: Once everything has been sauteed, add in the wine to deglaze the pan for a minute. Then add in the chicken stock, and stir everything up.
- Back to the dried mushrooms: Now that the dried mushrooms have become rehydrated, strain them and reserve the liquid.
Then mince up the rehydrated mushrooms and toss them into the soup, along with 2 cups of the reserved liquid.
- Let simmer: Bring the soup up to a boil, and then turn the heat down to medium-low, and let it all simmer uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. It is also at this time that you should add the beef bouillon if you decided to use it.
- Add Cream and thickener: At the end with the soup still simmering, slowly add in the cream, and stir it in thoroughly. Next quickly make the thickener, by mixing together the ½ cups of flour and water in a bowl. The flour and water needs to be mixed enough until it is smooth and there are no lumps. Then add in just a little bit of the thickener, let’s say about a quarter of it, and stir it into the soup. Keep adding more of the thickener, and stirring it in until the soup is the thickness you desire. Finally, taste the soup and add salt if needed.
- Serve & enjoy your cream of mushroom soup.
Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Lbs of fresh brown mushrooms cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 oz. of dried mushrooms any kind that you want
- 1 Large onion brown or yellow, minced
- 3 Cloves of garlic minced
- 6 Cups of chicken stock or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version
- ½ Cup of heavy cream
- ½ Cup of dry wine red or white
- 4 Tablespoons of butter
- 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
- ¼ Teaspoon of dried thyme
- ¼ Teaspoon of dried tarragon
- Salt & pepper to taste
For thickener
- ½ Cup of flour
- ½ Cup of water
Optional
- 1 Tablespoon of beef bouillon*
Instructions
- Rehydrate the dried mushrooms: Get out a medium sized bowl, place the dried mushrooms in it, and cover the mushrooms with at least 3 cups of hot water. Set this aside to soak for 30 minutes.
- Sautee: Get out a large pot and add in the butter and olive oil. Place this over a medium high heat until the butter is melted and then add in the onion, sauteing them for 3 to 5 minutes or until they begin to become translucent. Then add in the minced garlic and saute it for another minute. Finally add in the fresh mushrooms, tarragon, and thyme, and continue to saute everything for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the wine and stock: Once everything has been sauteed, add in the wine to deglaze the pan for a minute. Then add in the chicken stock, and stir everything up.
- Back to the dried mushrooms: Now that the dried mushrooms have become rehydrated, strain them and reserve the liquid.Then mince up the rehydrated mushrooms and toss them into the soup, along with 2 cups of the reserved liquid.
- Let simmer: Bring the soup up to a boil, and then turn the heat down to medium low, and let it all simmer uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. It is also at this time that you should add the beef bouillon if you decided to use it.
- Add Cream and thickener: At the end with the soup still simmering, slowly add in the cream, and stir it in thoroughly. Next quickly make the thickener, by mixing together the ½ cups of flour and water in a bowl. The flour and water needs to be mixed enough until it is smooth and there are no lumps. Then add in just a little bit of the thickener, let’s say about a quarter of it, and stir it into the soup. Keep adding more of the thickener, and stirring it in until the soup is the thickness you desire. Finally taste the soup and add salt if needed.
Notes
If you liked this cream of mushroom soup recipe then check out bot our tomato soup, and baked potato soup
Inspiration from other blogs
From Cafe Delights
From Omnivores Cookbook
