Its not really that cold here yet – we haven’t even thought about lighting the fire, and the heat pump only gets put on first thing in the morning just to take the chill off – and yet my mind, and stomach, already seem to be focussed on warm, comforting, winter meals. Theres nothing quite like the comfort of a nourishing winter meal that warms you from the inside-out. Rich, delicious, hearty and wholesome soups, stews, curries, and crock-pot meals are occupying my thoughts and dictating my shopping, and writing. So theres nothing for it but to give in.
Last night we had the most delicious creamy mushroom soup for dinner. I love an uncomplicated, soup that screams of its main ingredient. This soup is basically just mushrooms. And mushrooms. And mushrooms, with a little bit of stock and a touch of cream to finish.
And its divine. Rich, earthy and satisfying we lapped it up with crusty ciabatta. My husband went back for a third bowl so it must have been a success.
I love to cook soup. Soup can be so quick to prepare it makes a wonderfully easy lunch or dinner on a cold day, but their flavour also improves with rest so they’re a great meal to prepare over the weekend and reheat for a really quick dinner during the week.
I like to start all my soups with a good flavour base of sautéed onion, garlic and leek. Sometimes I add carrot depending on what soup I am making. For a cream soup like this one, I prefer to make a roux and add stock to create a veloute, rather than using milk or thickening with potato. The veloute gives the soup a wonderfully creamy texture without making it too heavy, and allows the main ingredients to really shine through. It certainly worked with this delicious creamy mushroom soup – I’m heating up the leftovers for my lunch and I can’t wait! Bring on winter!
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Cook time:
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- 750g mushrooms, sliced. See notes.
- 25g butter + 50g butter
- 1 brown onion, chopped
- 1 leek, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp flour
- 4 cups chicken stock, warmed (substitute for vegetable or mushroom stock to make this soup vegetarian)
- ⅓ cup cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Melt the 25g of butter in a large stockpot and add the mushrooms. Sprinkle with a little salt and cook gently, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked, have released their water and reabsorbed most of the liquid. Remove from the pot and set aside in a large bowl. Note: while I enjoy this soup smooth and creamy, I also like to have a few chucks of mushroom as well. To do this set aside approximately 1 cup of the cooked mushrooms in a separate bowl to be added after the soup has been pureed.
- Melt the 50g of butter in the same pot. Add the onion, leek and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes until the onion and leek are very soft. Sprinkle on the thyme leaves and cook for another minute.
- Reduce the heat slightly and sprinkle over the flour. Cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to stop the flour catching on the bottom of the pan. Add half a cup of the warmed stock, stirring all the time. The flour will quickly absorb the first addition of stock and the mixture will look very gluey.
- Add the rest of the stock, half a cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Once all the stock is added, return the large bowl of mushrooms to the pot, including any liquid that has formed in the bowl. Bring to an almost boil and let the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Using a metal (heat resistant) stick blender, puree the soup until smooth and creamy, or to the consistency you prefer. If you don't have a stick blender, you can use a food processor to puree the soup. To do this, allow the soup to cool for at least 30 minutes, then spoon it into the food processor and process until smooth. You will most likely need to do this in batches. Be very careful because the soup will still be quite warm.
- Once the soup is smooth, add the extra reserved mushrooms (if using) and pour in the cream. Stir to combine and return the soup to the heat to warm through. Serve with a swirl of cream or dollop of sour cream and your favourite crusty bread for dunking.
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