Wild Mushroom and Leek Soup
I just love the savory, earthy flavor of mushrooms. Growing up we only had white or “button” mushrooms. Once I discovered the wide variety of mushrooms from Portobello to cremini to porcini and beyond, there was a whole new world opened up to experiencing.
This is another recipe originally from my friend Deb, that we made in our cooking club. We have changed it up over the years, but what we love most, the assortment of delicious mushrooms remains the dominate ingredient.
We took a drive to a premium grocer that we don’t visit that often. (It’s Central Market, for those in Texas) We walked into the most beautiful display of mushrooms. While we had not planned it, we knew we needed to make something with mushrooms. We remembered this soup so we quickly gathered up the other ingredients to make it.
Begin with a chop.
Chop the onions, garlic and leeks. No fine dicing needed as it will all blend together later.
(why do I always have the burned side of the chopping block face up?)
After melting the butter, add the onions. Cook until translucent, then add the leeks. Cook a bit more and then add the chopped garlic.
Portobello, Cremini and Oyster Mushrooms
A variety of mushrooms can be used but we like this combination best. You have to be careful with premium mushrooms or you could quickly end up with $100 worth of fungi.
Add the mushrooms and herbs. Let them cook down. You will start to smell the woodiness in the fragrance of the mushrooms while cooking. After a few minutes add the sherry and the wine. You can skip these, but I highly recommend as they enhance the overall flavor of the soup.
Butter and Flour
Be sure to make the softened butter and flour into a paste. Then mix fully into the mushroom mixture. This will ensure the soup gets the right amount of thickness when blended.
Time for the chicken broth
Now it’s becoming a soup. Let this cook for about 10 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.
It’s looking and smelling good. After letting it all come together in the pot, it’s time to blend. We use an immersion blender, but it also can be poured into a blender in batches to blend. Be careful with that blender and the hot liquid!
In just under an hour it’s almost ready! This is a very rich soup, so it’s great for a starter. Or simply with a salad for a meatless meal.
If you love mushrooms this is a soup to try! This soup actually gets better with age and makes yummy leftovers for the next couple of days. Only if it’s not gone the first night :)
Wild Mushroom and Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 whole onion, chopped
- I small leek, white parts only, chopped (about a 1/2 cup)
- 18 total ozs. fresh mushrooms - Portobello, oyster, shiitake (cremini and white button mushrooms work as well). Cleaned, stemmed and chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup sherry
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, Sautee for 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Add the leek, continue to sauté until soft. Add the garlic. Next add the mushrooms and thyme all at once. Sauté for about 9 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the wine and sherry, simmer for about 6 minutes.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a separate bowl until just soft. After melting, mix with the 2 tablespoons of flour until a smooth paste forms. Add the flour paste to the mushroom mixture in the Dutch oven; stir until the mixture fully incorporates into the vegetables. Gradually mix in the stock. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the mushrooms are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper.
- Working in batches, puree the soup in blender or use an immersion blender right in the Dutch oven. If necessary, re-warm. (This soup can be prepared 1 day ahead and rewarmed over medium low heat).
- Ladle the warmed soup into bowls. Enjoy!
