Creamy Mushroom Soup

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp. butter, divided
¼ c. flour
1 onion, finely chopped
2 small cloves garlic, finely chopped
.75 oz dried organic mushroom stock mix
½ - 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, halved and sliced
1 c. reserved mushroom broth
2 c. chicken/vegetable stock
1/4 c. sherry (or red wine)
5 oz. whipping cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
seasonings of choice – thyme, bay leaves, herbes de provence (optional)

Instructions:

Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water: Place dried mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with 3 cups of very hot water. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Drain. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the mushrooms and reserve one cup of the mushroom broth. Roughly chop the reconstituted mushrooms.

Place 3 tbsp. butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add all the mushrooms and cook for a further 6-7 minutes or until they are soft. Add the sherry. Stir. Add the remaining 2 tbsp. butter to the pot and stir until melted. Add the flour to the pot and stir until the mushrooms are well coated with flour. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushroom broth and stir until the flour has dissolved and there are no lumps. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor (we use a hand blender) and whizz until smooth. Place the pureed soup back into the pan and add the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!