Mushroom Soup
Why I Love This Recipe
This recipe is one I adapted from The Les Halles Cookbook, by Anthony Bourdain. Like so many of the recipes in it, it's very basic but extremely good.
Like I said, simple. The original recipe called for 6 tbsp of butter, but I've found that it makes the final soup a bit too greasy, so I've reduced it. There's no need for fancy mushrooms here - buttons work just fine. They have plenty of flavor and don't cost too much. It punch up the mushroom, though, get a package of dried gourmet mushrooms. Reconstitute just a little bit in some warm water, then add the whole thing to the soup along with the stock.
Other herbs would be good as well, like thyme or sage. Just stick to one type of herb, though; it's a pretty simple dish and you don't want to muddy the flavors. Use a decent sherry, not anything labeled "cooking sherry."
Oh, this soup freezes well. And it tastes better the second day, so make a big batch, freeze half and toss the other half in the fridge for the week.
Ingredients You'll Need
12 oz button mushrooms, cleaned (quartered if large)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
4 cups chicken stock
several sprigs fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 to 2 tbsp dry sherry
Directions
In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat until the foaming has subsided. Add onion and sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes (if the onions are taking on color, lower the heat). Add the remaining 3 tbsp butter and the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes (the mushrooms will become softer and cooked through, but still retain their shape - and again, no browning).
Add salt, chicken stock and parsley sprigs. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat. Simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove pot from heat. Let cool for 15 minutes. Take out and discard the parsley sprigs. Using either a regular or immersion (stick) blender, puree the soup until you have a fine consistency and the liquid has thickened due to emulsion. Return the soup to the pot. Add 1 to 2 tbsp of dry sherry (to taste), salt and pepper.
Bring soup back to a simmer, stirring, to heat through and combine. Serve.
Like I said, simple. The original recipe called for 6 tbsp of butter, but I've found that it makes the final soup a bit too greasy, so I've reduced it. There's no need for fancy mushrooms here - buttons work just fine. They have plenty of flavor and don't cost too much. It punch up the mushroom, though, get a package of dried gourmet mushrooms. Reconstitute just a little bit in some warm water, then add the whole thing to the soup along with the stock.
Other herbs would be good as well, like thyme or sage. Just stick to one type of herb, though; it's a pretty simple dish and you don't want to muddy the flavors. Use a decent sherry, not anything labeled "cooking sherry."
Oh, this soup freezes well. And it tastes better the second day, so make a big batch, freeze half and toss the other half in the fridge for the week.
