Cream of Mushroom Soup

If most people knew how easy it is to make cream of mushroom soup at home they would be doing it! Here is a fast and easy recipe that will have you quitting the canned soup version. Make sure your mushrooms are fresh and spotless and you will be off to a great start. Remember to always keep mushrooms cold. They like to be held at 35° or so for best results.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

24 oz mushrooms chopped, mix and match 8 oz packages if you like

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 clove garlic minced

3 Tablespoons butter or oil

4 Tablespoons flour

32 fl oz chicken stock

1/4 to 1/2  cup half and half

1 teaspoon Spike seasoning salt

ground white pepper to taste (appx 1/4 tsp)

salt to taste ( appx 1/4 tsp)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Mince onion and garlic. Saute in the olive oil, or butter for 3 minutes on medium heat stirring often.

Add chopped mushrooms and cook  20-25 minutes on med low heat, or until most liquid is cooked off.  Stir occasionally.

While mushrooms are cooking melt butter in a small sauce pan on low heat and add flour to make a roux.  Cook for 5 minutes on low heat stirring often, but slowly.  Set aside.

When most of the liquid is cooked out of the mushroom/onion mixture add the chicken stock, white pepper, salt,spike, roux.  Cook on medium high heat stirring often until thickened.

Add the half and halfand stir until it returns to a simmer. Stir in fresh thyme, and blend with an immersion blender then serve.  A table top blender can be used, but be careful with this hot soup and blend in two batches. May be garnished with chopped chives for color.

Serves four.

Note: For a lower salt soup use salt free chicken stock and add less salt.

You can use button, crimini, maitake, and shitake mushrooms in this soup. I like 1-2 thirds of it to be button mushrooms, and the rest Maitake.

For a richer thicker soup us heavy cream instead of half and half, and increase roux to 4 tablespoons butter and 5 tablespoons flour.