Wild & Creamy Mushroom Soup

[lxxf]

Maryann asked me to post this: From the December 2006 issue of Gourmet Magazine:

1/4 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 large onion, minced (1-1/4 C)
3 T salted butter
1/2 lb. white mushrooms, thinly sliced (3Cups)
1 t.. fine sea salt
1/2 t. dried tarragon, crumbled
1/2 t dried Mexican oregano, crumbled]
q/4 t black pepper
1/4 C all-purpose flour
4 C reduced-sodium broth (32 fl oz)
1/2 C heavy cream
2 T medium-dry sherry
Garmish: Chopped scallion greens; fresh mushrooms (optional) thinly sliced.

-Grind dried porcini in a blender until powderly
-Cook onion in 1 T butter in a 4 to 5 quart heavy pot, covered, over moderate heat, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add Fresh mushrooms, porcini powder, seal salt, tarragon oregano, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
-Add remaining 2T butter and cook, stirring, until melted, then sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick and golden, about 5 minutes.
-Whisk in 1 C chick broth, scraping up any brown bits, until mixture is smooth. Add remaining broth in a stream, whisking until liquid is smooth. Bring to a simmer, whisking, then stir in cream and Sherry and simmer,, uncovered, stirring occasionally 10 minutes.

I always use unsalted butter and dry sherry

[bjcotton]

Hmmmmm, they don't have you soak the mushrooms and then strain the broth in case there's dirt on them? Hmmmmmmm.

[vannin]

I understand we eat a couple of pound of dirt anyway Billy, one way or another, every year. I am much inclined to try it as is. Sounds really good.

[vannin]

And apart from fresh mushies and scallion it could be a store cupboard recipe, everyone always has an onion, and the garnish could be optional.

[Mare749]

I wondered about that for a minute myself, Billy, but I have to tell you that it didn't stop me from making this. I used dried shitakes and they didn't look dirty to me, so I just whirled them up in the food processor until it was a powder, then added it to the mixture in the pot. Then, I used 3 cups of different types of fresh mushrooms. The only change I made, (sorry Sally, I forgot to tell you I had made a substitution) was that I used a cup of my own homemade yogurt in place of the cream, to help with the calorie count.

I figured if I made it this way right from the beginning, I would never miss the cream. I didn't, and it is a very tasty and filling soup. I ran it through my weight watcher recipe builder and it's 3 points a serving.

Sally, thanks again for sharing this recipe!

Maryann

[lxxf]

It's such a pain to soak, filter and strain the mushrooms. I thought, wow - as long as you boil (simmer) it for longer than 10 minutes, you'll sterilize whatever dirt you're ingesting, and if you pulverize those suckers long enough they won't be gritty. It's really, really good.

Also, I suppose you could rinse them, and then dry them in a slow oven (250) until they're dry once again.

[cjs]

"they don't have you soak the mushrooms and then strain the broth in case there's dirt on them?"

Billy, the broth is most (or a lot of ) times called for in the recipes and I've always used as is...no problem.

That sure sounds good - and think I'll do as Maryann and make it healthy (ier) from the get go.

[Mare749]

Jean, what do you think you would add in place of the cream?

Maryann

[cjs]

I've got some yogurt draining right now and I think your idea is perfect!!

"then stir in cream and Sherry and simmer,, uncovered, stirring occasionally 10 minutes." - I think adding the sherry and letting that go a little and then add the yogurt right at the end and no worries about it 'breaking'.

[Mare749]

Oh, that's a good idea, I didn't think of that. Well, it didn't break up this time, but I'll make sure I do it that way from now on to avoid the problem.

Maryann