Introduction
The first time that I made Mushroom soup was after reading @missdeli's post on Porcini Mushroom Cream Soup. You can click on the blue link to see that post and to see why it was so inspiring. Since that first attempt I've been making a version of the soup quite regularly, about once every week or two really. You could say that it has become a bit of a staple in our household at this point. My ingredients and method are a little different than missdeli's recipe so feel free to compare and contrast the two if you'd like. It's always good to read multiple recipes that are similar and to pick and choose what works for you.
Overall I found the recipe to be pretty versatile with quite a bit of leeway to make minor alterations with the ingredients. For instance, I've made it with potatoes and without, and have added in leeks as well at times. I've found that it always turns out quite good, whichever way I decide to make it.
So with that being said, here is my version of Mushroom garlic soup, inspired by missdeli's recipe.
Ingredients
• 1 Quart of cremini mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choosing)
• 1 Large onion
• 1 Large carrot
• 1 Large potato
• 3-4 Cloves of garlic
• 1L Chicken stock
• 1 Cube Chicken Bouillon
• Herbs of Provence to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cream to taste
• Sour cream/creme fraiche optional
Directions
Start by cleaning the mushrooms. I use a dry microfiber cloth or soft bristle brush. It's best not to use water here because mushrooms are like sponges and will absorb a lot of moisture, which will dilute the flavor of the soup.
Next I cut the mushrooms, or just break them apart with my hands to speed things up.
I've made this soup a few times now and sometimes I just add the mushrooms to the pot with the other vegetables, most times though I prefer to roast them in the oven for a little while to remove some of the moisture. I've found that this speeds things up a little and gives the soup more mushroom flavor as it is a little less diluted. Something to keep in mind here though is that roasting the mushrooms also alters the texture of the soup a little depending on how long you roast them. If the mushrooms get too dried out then they don't blend as well at the end, which makes the soup a little less smooth. There is a sort of tradeoff here that requires some balance.
I like to roast the garlic that I add as well. I find that it has better flavor that way. I leave it in the shell and throw it in the oven for roughly the same amount of time as the mushrooms.
While everything is roasting I chop the onions and carrots and saute them in a pot with butter until soft and until a lot of the moisture is removed from them - same principle as the mushrooms here.
I cut the potato and add that in also.
Once the mushrooms and garlic have roasted to my liking I take them out of the oven and throw them into the pot with the other vegetables.
Next I add the chicken broth, either homemade or store bought, and the herbs of Provence and the bouillon cube. I generally don't add water to soup because of how bland it makes it. Often you have to over compensate with salt and/or Bouillon to make up for having too much water.
This is a completely unnecessary step but I like to slice and brown a few mushrooms in butter to put in the soup at the end as a garnish.
You can do this while you wait for the rest of the soup to simmer for a bit.
Once the soup is done simmering, basically once all of the vegetables are soft, you can add in some cream to your taste preferences. I personally don't add in a whole lot of cream, just enough to lighten the color a little when the soup is blended. You can do this gradually, and taste as you go. You could also use creme fraiche or sour cream here.
Next I blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth.
An actual countertop blender would work better but that's more cleaning afterwards so I just use a handheld device.
After that you can garnish and serve.
As you can see I play around with the garnishing once in a while. I've put a dollop of creme fraiche on top or even chopped Swiss chard.
