Enjoy a delicious recipe made from mushrooms and fresh herbs, a fabulous dish for a special dinner or just because it is cold outside. This is definitely an upgrade from the condensed cream of mushroom soup of your childhood! It’s best to use a nice mix of mushrooms, but if you’re going to buy only one type, use crimini, which have more flavor than the others.
INGREDIENT LIST:
- 2 cups fresh mushrooms, clean and chopped finely
- ¼ cup fresh mushrooms, clean and left whole (for garnish)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 – 2 of bay leaves
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
- ¼ cup Sherry
- 1 tbsp flour dissolved in 1 tbsp water
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup fat free half and half
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh thyme for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan. Add butter and lightly sauté garlic and onions on medium heat.
Add in the chopped mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the moisture from the mushrooms disappears.
Add sherry. Reduce.
Add in chicken broth. Stir occasionally until broth boils, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add diluted flour, and stir constantly (while simmering) until the mixture thickens.
Season with salt and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Finally, add half and half, and bring to a simmer. Turn heat off.
Lightly sauté the whole mushrooms in the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil until browned.
Transfer the soup to bowls. Add freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh thyme and the sautéed mushrooms.