Wild Mushroom Soup

I’m in full-on soup mode over here and this rich and creamy wild mushroom soup is one of my top favorites.  It’s one of those soups I make year after year and consoles me just a bit as I watch the sun go down earlier each evening, the leaves start to carpet our yard, and my anxiety over how much snow I’ll be battling this year begins scratching at the door.

This mushroom soup is rich but it’s the perfect soup to have in a cup so toss your worries about the cream content out the window.  It is so worth it.  We ate it for dinner recently with an apple, marcona almond, manchego, and arugula salad and it was the perfect blend of something light and fresh (the salad) and something earthy and comforting (the soup).  The leftovers were fantastic for lunch with grilled robusto cheese sandwiches dipped in our soup mugs.

This soup all started with the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe from her Barefoot Contessa At Home cookbook.  I’ve made a few changes but, really, the woman is an icon for a reason.  She makes downright delicious food.  The main changes I made were eliminating the butter (an entire stick, for goodness sake), using chicken broth instead of a homemade mushroom broth, and almost pureeing the mushrooms and leeks in a food processor instead of slicing them.

The smell of onions sauteeing in olive oil mingled with the woodsy aroma of wild mushrooms is almost enough to make me happy it’s getting cold outside.  Almost.

Wild Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 c. leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into large chunks
10 oz. cremini mushrooms
4 oz. mixed wild mushrooms (I used oyster and skiitake)
1/4 c. flour
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 c. white wine
1 c. half and half
1 c. heavy cream

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Put the leeks into a food processor and alternate pulsing and scraping down the sides until they’re finely chopped.  Spoon into the pot and cook until starting to brown, 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until they’re finely chopped.  Add to the browned leeks and cook another 5-7 minutes, until they’re tender and browned.

Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Pour the wine into the pot and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom.

Add the chicken stock, thyme, 1 tsp. salt, and cracked pepper to taste and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Add the half and half and cream and cook until heated through.  Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.