Sharon Case’s (Sharon) Wild Mushroom Soup
Where did you get this recipe?
“From my mother and my grandmother. I’ve changed it slightly from their recipe; I like to add thyme and sherry, but it’s delicious either way.”
What kind of mushrooms do you prefer?
“I use a mix of cremini, shiitake, and oyster or chanterelle.”
Do you serve this up at every Thanksgiving?
“This soup has always been a staple in my family’s holiday menu, either for Thanksgiving or Christmas.”
What do you like about this dish?
“It reminds me of my childhood. Because I grew up eating this, I think of it as ‘kid food’, but I guess a better name would be comfort food.”
ingredients
¼ cup butter 1½ lbs. of chopped mushrooms, any variety 1 small package of dried porcini mushrooms 1 tsp. salt 1 large onion, diced 1½ Tbsp. all-purpose flour 6 fresh thyme sprigs ¼ cup sherry wine 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup water 1 cup heavy whipping cream
directions
1. In a small pot, heat water until nearly boiling. Remove from heat. Add dried porcini mushrooms. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes. 2. Melt butter in a large soup pot. Cook mushrooms on medium heat in butter with salt until golden brown. About 15 minutes. (Set aside a few mushrooms as a garnish for later.) 3. Add diced onion to the mushrooms and cook until translucent. About 5 minutes. 4. Add flour to the mushroom mixture and cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes. 5. Add sherry wine and cook for 2 more minutes. 6. Pour in chicken stock and water/ porcini mushroom mixture. Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine and add. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook for 30 minutes. 7. Remove thyme bundle and transfer soup to a blender or food processor in small batches and blend until smooth. 8. Return soup to pot and add cream, remaining mushrooms, which were set aside, then salt and pepper to taste. You can also add fresh thyme leaves if you choose to. If soup is too thick, add more water or chicken stock.