Mushroom Potato Soup

To be or not to be Gluten-Free?

I’m still not convinced that I need to go gluten-free. I did a test last summer and went four weeks virtually gluten-free and the only thing I noticed was the mild to moderate headaches I have had almost daily for the last thirty years went away about three weeks into my experiment.

When I added gluten back into my diet a bit at a time the headaches were still mostly absent so I couldn’t draw a line and say for sure what was going on. After all my research into gluten I do believe it is best to be cautious of wheat and all the man induced meddling it has endured over the last hundred years. Therefore I still eat wheat products but have cut back considerably on anything that contains it and gluten.

Cream of mushroom soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. It was probably one of the first things I cooked by myself when I was about twelve years old. Even though it was just canned Cambell’s cream of mushroom soup it was good stuff. Since moving to the Mid-Atlantic region and discovering the Mushroom Capital of the World just up the road in Kennett Square my appreciation for a great bowl of mushroom soup has blossomed.

In an effort to be cooking in the footsteps of the mushroom chefs up north I’ve come up with my own recipes including this new one I share with you today that happens to be gluten-free. I find that this new soup combines the savory flavor of mushrooms with the heartiness of a potato soup and will satisfy the pickiest mushroom soup fans. Please give it a try and share far and wide so others can enjoy this shroomy good bowl of soup.

Cream of Mushroom Potato Soup

2 pounds russet potatoes

1 pound mushrooms, maitake,  crimini, or white

2 teaspoons garlic infused olive oil

1/2 cup minced yellow onion

2 teaspoons mushroom base, or beef base

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons chicken base

2 cups milk

3 cloves garlic, optional

cooking mushrooms in a LeCruset pot

Peel and  cut potatoes into one inch cubes. Put in a covered pot with one teaspoon chicken base and  water to cover. When it boils reduce and cook at a simmer until tender.

Cook minced onions, and garlic infused olive oil on medium low heat for three minutes in a sauté pan.

Chop mushrooms and add to sauté pan cooking at medium heat for about ten minutes and stirring every minute or so.

Add thyme and white pepper and cook for about two more minutes until most but not all of the liquid is gone from the mushrooms.*

Add cooked minced garlic from garlic infused olive oil if using.*

When potatoes are tender drain and reserve liquid. Mash potatoes and 1/2 cup of milk with a hand masher.

Add the mushroom mix to the potatoes.

Add milk, mushroom base, chicken base and one cup of the potato liquid and blend with an immersion blender.

Cook for another five minutes and add more potato liquid until desired thickness is achieved, about two cups should do.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.

hot soup!

Note:

*Most of the time when sautéing mushrooms the liquid is cooked off, but it’s not necessary to cook off all the mushroom liquid with this recipe.

*If using my recipe for garlic infused olive oil you will have the cooked garlic cloves to use in this soup. If not just sauté minced fresh garlic when the mushrooms are added to the onions.

*For a different garnish try finely sliced celery leaves.