Mushroom Soup

I LOVE soup! Especially in Winter, when the days are dull and dreary, the light is fading and all I want to do is snuggle under a cozy blanket with my hot man in front of a fireplace!

Unfortunately, my hot man is out at work all day and our apartment doesn't have a fireplace, so I have to make do with the soup and the blanket...at least until he gets home!

This week I was inspired to make mushroom soup as the grocery store had a large selection of mushrooms on special offer (or as American's say "on sale"), and I love a good bargain so the rest was easy.

I then Googled some recipes, MANY of which had cream in, so I couldn't use those as my hubby is allergic to most dairy products, I kept searching and found some inspiration, but those of you who know me well know I hate to follow recipes, unless I am baking.  I like to glean information and then adapt it to suit my needs, ingredient availability, and generally how bothered/hungry I am!

Here is my version of Mushroom Soup:

 Here are the ingredients I used (onion, garlic, butter not shown)

In a large pan, melt the butter, add the onions and garlic and stir until softened but not browned (around 5 mins)

add the mushrooms and stir

Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper and thyme (just add a little at this stage as you can always add more later if it needs it) and sherry, stir.

Make sure all the ingredients are covered by water, additional water can be added if required

Simmer on a moderate heat for an hour....sit back and relax under the cosy blanket with or without your hot man. Taste, add additional seasonings if required, although bear in mind that mushrooms should be the main thing you taste.

Allow to cool slightly and then blend in a food processor/blender/Vitamix. I did this amount in 2 batches. My husband prefers chunky soup and I prefer blended so he suggested holding some of the soup back and then adding it to the blended part for added texture.

Pour into bowls and serve immediately with warm crusty bread! Enjoy!

I was too busy eating the soup to take pictures at this stage! LOL!

I lasted well too, so made for great leftovers for the rest of the week! Delicious!

Ingredients:

3lbs Mushrooms, chopped (any type you fancy!)

1 Qt Chicken Stock (I like Better Than Boullion brand the best)

1 Large onion, diced

10 cloves of garlic, diced (my hubby is Sicilian so everything has garlic in it!)

Approx 1/2 C sherry

Salt, pepper and thyme to taste

3 Tbsp Butter

Directions:

1) In a large pan, melt the butter, add the onions and garlic and stir until softened but not browned (around 5 mins), add the mushrooms and stir.  Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper and thyme (just add a little at this stage as you can always add more later if it needs it) and sherry, stir. Make sure all the ingredients are covered by water, additional water can be added if required.

2) Simmer on a moderate heat for an hour....sit back and relax under the cosy blanket with or without your hot man. Taste, add additional seasonings if required, although bear in mind that mushrooms should be the main thing you taste.

3) Allow to cool slightly and then blend in a food processor/blender/Vitamix. I did this amount in 2 batches.

4) Pour into bowls and serve immediately with warm crusty bread! Enjoy!