"Creamy" Wild Mushroom Soup

“Creamy” Wild Mushroom Soup Serves 6

Ingredients: 1 lb. baby Portobello mushrooms, stems removed and caps cleaned with a damp paper towel – $3.98 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in a bowl with boiling water – $3.99 1 cup sweet onion, diced – $0.79 1 clove garlic, minced – stock ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1½ teaspoons fresh) – stock 1 Tablespoon cooking sherry or Madeira – stock 2 Tablespoons sweet butter – stock 3 Tablespoons flour – stock 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock plus 1 cup hot stock – $2.50 1 cup milk, warmed (I used 1%) – stock 2 Tablespoons olive oil – stock salt and freshly ground pepper – stock Sour cream or crème fraiche to garnish – optional Grand Total Assuming Well-Stocked Pantry: $11.26 Total Per Main Course Serving: $1.88 Directions: 1. Prep the Portobello mushrooms as directed above. (Save the stems for another batch of fresh veggie stock.) Soak the dried mushrooms in the hot water to cover for 15 minutes until reconstituted and soft. Save the mushroom soaking water. It will be added to the soup pot later. 2. For the velouté (soup base): In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low flame. Stir in the onion and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. 3. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup of stock to a simmer. 4. When the onions are soft, blend in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Avoid browning the flour. 5. Remove the onion-flour mixture from the flame and add the hot stock, all at once, whisking vigorously until blended and smooth. 6. Add the remaining 3 cups of stock as well as the milk. Simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to scorch the soup base. 7. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the fresh mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Sauté over medium flame, stirring often for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. 8. Meanwhile, strain the dried mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Stir the dried mushrooms into the fresh mushroom mix. (This is at the beginning of the 15 minutes of sautéing the fresh ‘shrooms.) 9. Add the sautéed mushrooms, cooking wine, dried mushroom soaking liquid (pour this in carefully and try to leave the sediment behind) to the velouté. Stir in the thyme. 10. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes. 11. Strain the soup into a separate pot and transfer the solids to a food processor armed with the steel blade. (I reserved about 2 Tablespoons of mushrooms for garnish.) Add 1 cup of the hot velouté and puree until very smooth. 12. Return the puree to the remaining velouté and warm over Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche and a few reserved chopped mushrooms, if desired.