Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
Soup as a starter or as a light lunch is one of my favourite meals. I love how warm and filling a bowl of soup can be and coupled with a wedge of bread, it makes for a hearty and satisfying meal.
In winter I love serving an espresso cup of soup with a cheese straw on the top as a little hot, welcoming canapé to friends and family.
I have been on a quest to find the tastiest combination for a mushroom soup for a very long time. I am always snapping ingredients lists off random pots of things and then concocting in the kitchen, the fruits are fed to my family who are the best judges. They and I think this is by far the tastiest mushroom soup I have made.
With Autumn on its way I thought this could be a wonderful quick and easy recipe to have up your sleeve, be it for a make when you need something to feed the family in shifts (those with teenagers will know what I am talking about), as a friends light lunch or as a dinner party starter, it is that flexible.
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- 2 leeks, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 500g chestnut or any mixed mushrooms (Buttons, Oysters, Portobello and Chanterelle mushrooms)
- 2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup double cream
- 2 tablespoons soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon sherry or champagne wine vinegar
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Melt the butter in a large pot.
- Add the chopped onion, leeks and garlic (if using) sweat until the onions and leeks become translucent this will take about 5 minutes.
- Add the thyme and stir for a few seconds to release the aroma of the herb.
- Stir in the mushrooms and coat them with the butter, onions and leeks, cook until the mushrooms start to release a little of their water content. This only takes a couple of minutes.
- Add the vegetable or chicken stock and cream, bring the mixture to a slow simmer, cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir occasionally to prevent the soup from burning.
- Add the soya sauce and vinegar and stir well.
- At this point you can serve the soup chunky or as I prefer it, blended with a stick blender, until the soup is smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with a grating of aged parmesan cheese and a wedge of bread.
Three small tweaks can turn this soup into a vegan friendly meal.
Adding coconut or almond milk, instead of cream
Using vegan vegetable stock
Grated vegan cheese instead of parmesan
The servings are for 4 as a large main course, 8 if serving as a smaller starter and10-12 as a canape in an espresso cup.
I like to serve the soup in espresso cups as a little canapé in winter, with a cheese straw on the side.
It is also a great party idea for standing guests, if served in mugs.
When you make it please send me a photo or write a comment, I would love to know if you enjoyed it as much as my family did.
