Cream of Mushroom Soup: What To Do When a Good Mushroom Goes Bad

If you're like me, you have a busy fridge. You know, leftover spaghetti, some baked ham for brekkie, maybe a roasted squash or two kicking around. Maybe you even have a bunch of mushrooms kicking around that you overbought for a recent kid's birthday party because you forgot that kids DON'T LIKE MUSHROOMS, MOM. So. They're not bad mushrooms, per se, just slightly neglected and maybe they slipped your mind and need to be acknowledged RIGHT NOW. This is a great soup for that! You can use them all up and they will stop staring at you with their slightly browning rounded edges every time you open up the crisper. Somebody help, I've gone too far into the analogy!!

 

Anyway! Easy fast soup using kitchen staples! Somewhat healthier even! It is snowing like a mofo here and a day in the kitchen is just what the foodie ordered.
You will need:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb mushrooms, dealers choice, sliced
Salt, pepper, thyme to taste
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
900 ml beef stock
6 cloves roasted garlic (optional)
1/2 cup half and half

Plus salt, pepper, thyme and never mind that chicken stock

Use beef broth instead!

Prep! Chop your mushrooms and onions; mince your garlic.

Melt the butter in a large heavy bottom dutch oven (jk, ALL dutch ovens are heavy bottomed. genetics) and saute the onions for 3 to 4 minutes until almost completely softened.

When you start to see that lovely fond (browning on the bottom), turn it down, Conan, and add in the raw garlic.

Cook, stirring, for another minute or so, then add in alls the mushrooms.

Stir well, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stir again and cover for another few until there is liquid at the bottom. Remove the lid, sprinkle in some salt, coarse black pepper and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are completely softened, another two or three minutes.

Sprinkle on the flour

And stir well to coat

When all the flour is stirred in, start adding stock in small batches, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

 

When all the stock has been added, bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

 

 

Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. I added a whack of pepper at this point. And some thyme, because it is the food of the gods. Stir in the half and half and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, until somewhat thickened.

 

 

This recipe makes four 1 1/4 cup servings at 153 calories per, not bad right? And you could make it vegetarian with vegetable stock, woot! Enjoy!