LEEK & ROASTED MUSHROOM SOUP

4 servings

This hearty vegetable soup is meant to soothe and refresh during a time full of rich and indulgent meals. Try serving with garlic toast or even squares of puff pastry to soak up the broth.

• 1 pound mushrooms such as a mix of crimini and maitake

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh thyme

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 stalks celery, sliced thinly

• 6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

• 2 wide strips of lemon or orange peel

• 1 small dried chile such as chile de arbol, crushed open

• 3 whole medium leeks, sliced thinly, rinsed and dried

• ½ cup white wine

• 5 cups chicken, turkey or vegetable broth

• 3 ounces arugula or chopped spinach

• 1⁄3 cup sour cream

• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice and/or tear the mushrooms into thin ¼- to ½-inch slices or pieces. On a sheet pan, toss them with the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the thyme, then roast, tossing the mushrooms and rotating the pan once halfway through, until cooked through with some golden and crisp edges, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the celery, garlic, lemon strips, crushed chile and remaining thyme. Saute, stirring with a spoon, until the garlic sizzles and is aromatic and the celery is softened but hasn’t browned at all, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks, 2 teaspoons salt (I use Diamond Crystal kosher, so adjust based on your brand’s saltines) and cook, stirring often until the leeks have softened and melted down to about half their original volume, but not falling apart, about 10 minutes.

Add the wine, turn the heat up to high and cook the leeks with the wine, stirring a couple more times, then add the stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the leeks are very soft and silky, but still not falling apart, about 2 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the greens to just wilt. Taste the soup, season with salt and pepper.

To serve, mix the sour cream and mustard together with a fork. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, add a few dollops of mustard cream and then top with roasted mushrooms.