Creamy Mushroom Soup

Photo © Anne-Marie Minhall

Memories of soup. 

For you?

Perhaps .. Growing up. Being off school & poorly.

Perhaps .. Grown up. Being off work & poorly.

Perhaps .. It's a weekend & there are mushrooms to be used up & you don't want to waste them & everything you need is to hand.

This will make two satisfying bowls ..

15g Butter
1/2 Onion finely chopped
1/2 Leek washed & finely sliced
300g Chestnut Mushrooms, quartered
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped (I used up some smoked garlic bulbs I had left)
1 tbsp Plain Flour
1 litre Vegetable Stock. warmed
50ml Crème Fraîche, plus extra to finish
1 tbsp Sherry or Whisky (optional)
Seasoning
Parsley, chopped 

The radio is on. A thriller. I went to see The Mousetrap last night & I'm in the mood for a crime story.

On the hob .. 

Melt the butter in a pan before sweating the onion the garlic & leeks until soft 

Mushrooms go in next with a little salt

Add the flour & stir for a few minutes before pouring over warmed stock

Time to let everything simmer & uncovered for 20 minutes

This is the moment where you may wish to whiz the mix in a blender or, like me, leave it as is

Either way, in your pan & back on a gentle heat go the blended or unblended funghi joy, it needs a few companions

The crème fraîche & the booze (if you're using) go in plus seasoning

Stir gently & simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes 

Soup time

Bowls are warmed & there's a spoonful of the leftover crème fraîche on the top together with some chopped parsley.

Meaty mushrooms, warming, creamy & nourishing on a February afternoon. 

I think we love soup because it loves us right back.

AMM