It’s no secret that I am lover of all things soup, always have been and always will be. I’m pretty sure this has something to do with my absolute love for things that pair amazingly with bread, or more accurately my need to pair everything with bread. Isn’t everything just better with bread? I can fit it into any meal. Have what you think is a no bread necessary meal lined up? I bet I could fit it in, feel free to email me and we can discuss.
Actually, I have recently found myself in the unique position of having to eat much lighter than i’m used to. Not because I want to but because my body is forcing me too. Its definitely not like the earlier weeks of pregnancy where a seemingly never ending appetite seems to alert you to taste buds you never even knew existed, making eating even for a major food lover like me an elevated version of the usual religious experience.
A few weeks back I was discovering flavor profiles in soda crackers that would blow your mind. Now sad as it is I can only eat very small amounts at once and even when I do that there seem to be uncomfortable consequences. It’s like alien resurrection inside my stomach after I eat so I’m really trying hard not to cramp his/her style cause revenge is a bitter bitter pill to swallow. No matter what you hear kicks feel like before you’re pregnant, nothing can prepare you for the feeling of a foot in the ribcage during the 8th month of pregnancy.
So you can see why soup seems like the perfect meal for me right now and I’m pretty sure I’ll be eating a lot of it over the next 3 weeks while the baby is still cooking.
Mushroom soup is one of my absolute favorites, and you don’t even need bacon to make it taste excellent. I joke, I just really like bacon. This is not exactly a vegetarian version though as I really think it benefits from chicken stock, but of course it could easily be substituted if that’s the way you roll. I will say that my one trick with mushroom soup, which I make different every time is to try and find some dried mushrooms to add to the mix. I uses whatever variety I happen to have at the time, this time it was dried Shiitakes (Thanks to my buddy Patricia!) there is just something about the dried mushrooms that really takes the mushroom flavor from amateur to pro in a flash and it really doesn’t matter what variety you have it’ll seriously revolutionize this soup for you. Try it, you’ll see.
Mushroom Soup - Serves 6
olive oil
2 pounds of mixed fresh mushrooms, criminis, white button, shiitakes, oyster whatever you can find, sliced a handful of dried mushrooms
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
about 6 cups of chicken stock
1/2 – 3/4 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Heat a large pot over high heat, when its hot add in some olive oil and the the mushrooms. The key to getting all the flavor out of these mushrooms is to make sure they are browned adequately. In order to brown mushrooms up well you will have to make sure there is no salt anywhere near them or the juices will release and then it will take you an additional 20 minutes or so to get the water cooked off and the mushrooms brown. If this happens its no big deal it’ll just take a bit longer.
Put your dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water and allow to soften for at least 10 minutes. Drain and dice the mushrooms reserving the soaking liquid. Add them to the pot with the dried mushrooms. Once they are all browned remove the mushrooms to a plate and reserve.
In the same pot add in the onion and brown then add in the garlic and rosemary and after a minute add back in the mushrooms. At this point you can season with some salt and pepper. De-glaze the pot with the wine and after it is entirely cooked off add in the chicken stock. Allow soup to simmer for 30 minutes.
With an immersion blender blend to soup up until smooth, alternatively you could leave the soup with a few chunks of mushroom for texture its whatever you prefer. Finish the soup with the cream and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve hot with your favorite bread.
olive oil
2 pounds of mixed fresh mushrooms, criminis, white button, shiitakes, oyster whatever you can find, sliced a handful of dried mushrooms
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
about 6 cups of chicken stock
1/2 – 3/4 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Heat a large pot over high heat, when its hot add in some olive oil and the the mushrooms. The key to getting all the flavor out of these mushrooms is to make sure they are browned adequately. In order to brown mushrooms up well you will have to make sure there is no salt anywhere near them or the juices will release and then it will take you an additional 20 minutes or so to get the water cooked off and the mushrooms brown. If this happens its no big deal it’ll just take a bit longer.
Put your dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water and allow to soften for at least 10 minutes. Drain and dice the mushrooms reserving the soaking liquid. Add them to the pot with the dried mushrooms. Once they are all browned remove the mushrooms to a plate and reserve.
In the same pot add in the onion and brown then add in the garlic and rosemary and after a minute add back in the mushrooms. At this point you can season with some salt and pepper. De-glaze the pot with the wine and after it is entirely cooked off add in the chicken stock. Allow soup to simmer for 30 minutes.
With an immersion blender blend to soup up until smooth, alternatively you could leave the soup with a few chunks of mushroom for texture its whatever you prefer. Finish the soup with the cream and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve hot with your favorite bread.
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