Since you’re probably starting to experience fall, I have the perfect recipe for the absolute best cream of mushroom soup. Eat this with a piece of crusty bread and you’ll be transported. Those of us here in the southwest wish we could be transported, having just watched summer dry out into what is now the season of hell. But I digress. At least I still have a place to live, which many people don’t, so I’m very grateful for that.
I love it when I have a recipe I think is fabulous, then I change one thing and discover it’s even better. That’s what happened to this mushroom soup recipe when I added the packet of dried porcini mushrooms my friend Zoe gave me. Wow, what a flavor boost!
Also, if you’re worried you’re in a time warp because you got a 2014 post about Carrot Cake that went out again, don’t worry. It’s me, not you. Sadly, it’s still 2020. I’m just revising some old posts to make recipes easier to find.
Each blog title will have the name of the recipe in it, so you don’t have to go searching, and each will be listed in the proper category. (Yeah, i know – duh!) You can always use the search bar if you need a recipe, or just call me and I’ll tell you. That’s what my kids do.
So, here’s the Absolute Best Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe. I published one before from the LA Times and it was good, but this is so much better. It’s the same recipe with fresh thyme, fresh mushrooms, a little whipping cream, and sherry or port. But I added dried porcinis and whoa, what a difference!
I also learned something about porcinis (*see below). This recipe has chicken soup, but you can make it vegetarian and use veggie broth. It’s pure deliciousness for mushroom fans. I heartily recommend it with a nice piece of crusty bread if you want the transportation factor.
*When using dried porcini’s, use room temperature water, you don’t need hot. Room temperature water leaves more porcini flavor than hot water does. And when you’re done, just run the porcini water through a paper towel to get rid of the grit. I used the porcini water in addition to chicken broth and it was a serious flavor boost.
Enjoy the recipe, stay safe and have a Happy Fall! Please send me pics of roadside farms with pumpkins, mums, and cider so I can enjoy fall vicariously through you, until I move back east someday – hopefully before I dry up and blow away.
The Absolute Best Cream of Mushroom Soup
AuthorFran Tunno
Place dried porcinis in a medium bowl and pour two cups of room temperature water over them to hydrate them - let them soak at least 1/2 hour.
Clean and finely chop 1/2 of the mushrooms. Slice the other half of the mushrooms, and set them aside in a separate bowl.
Saute the shallots in 1/4 cup of butter in a large soup pot until tender, but not browned.
Drain the porcinis, saving the water. Run the porcini water through a paper towel into a bowl, and set it aside. Rinse the porcinis individually and roughly chop them. Add the chopped porcinis and the finely chopped mushrooms to the shallot butter mixture. Saute until tender but not brown
Add the flour - start with 1/2 cup then stir it all into the mushroom and shallot mixture. Cook over reduced heat about three minutes. (It will be sticky and paste-like.)
Combine the chicken broth and the strained porcini water and heat it in the microwave one to two minutes. Stir the combined mixture into the pot with chopped mushrooms and shallots.
Bring the soup to a boil , then lower it to a simmer, stirring with a whisk. Separately saute the sliced mushrooms in the remaining 1/4 cup butter and add them to the soup. Add the fresh thyme and the sherry or port. Add the whipping cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ingredients
Directions
Place dried porcinis in a medium bowl and pour two cups of room temperature water over them to hydrate them - let them soak at least 1/2 hour.
Clean and finely chop 1/2 of the mushrooms. Slice the other half of the mushrooms, and set them aside in a separate bowl.
Saute the shallots in 1/4 cup of butter in a large soup pot until tender, but not browned.
Drain the porcinis, saving the water. Run the porcini water through a paper towel into a bowl, and set it aside. Rinse the porcinis individually and roughly chop them. Add the chopped porcinis and the finely chopped mushrooms to the shallot butter mixture. Saute until tender but not brown
Add the flour - start with 1/2 cup then stir it all into the mushroom and shallot mixture. Cook over reduced heat about three minutes. (It will be sticky and paste-like.)
Combine the chicken broth and the strained porcini water and heat it in the microwave one to two minutes. Stir the combined mixture into the pot with chopped mushrooms and shallots.
Bring the soup to a boil , then lower it to a simmer, stirring with a whisk. Separately saute the sliced mushrooms in the remaining 1/4 cup butter and add them to the soup. Add the fresh thyme and the sherry or port. Add the whipping cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4 Comments
A
September 17, 2020 at 6:07 pmFran, this soup is SO GOOD!!! I didn’t have any sherry so I used some white wine. Thank you. We are trying to eat more veggies.
Fran Tunno
September 17, 2020 at 8:17 pmDear A, I am so glad you liked it. The sherry or port adds a nice flavor, but I’m glad it was good with the white wine too. Yay! It’s my absolute favorite soup. And not too hard to make.
Burse
September 14, 2020 at 3:18 pmThank you so much for this recipe. I have really been thinking about making some mushroom soup. Yours sound like the best. Where can I find porcini mushrooms?
Fran Tunno
September 14, 2020 at 9:25 pmProbably online, or at an Italian deli like Monte Carlo in Burbank, or maybe Mario’s down the street. You just need a one ounce bag, but they have so much flavor, it’s amazing. Good luck!