If you’re lucky enough to have a few days off this week, try this recipe out. I made it for some friends on Christmas Eve, and everyone loved it. Being the cautious type, and since I had never made this recipe before, I made the soup the day before. Given the complexity of flavors, I’d encourage you to do the same.
Mushroom Soup
serves eight
24 oz. mushrooms, sliced ( I used Baby Bellas)
1 oz. package dried porcini mushrooms. Follow label instructions. Reserve one cup of filtered cooking liquid.
4 cups sweet onion, chopped
1 tb. salt free tomato paste
1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 cups Trader Joe’s Mushroom Stock (low sodium if available). If you can’t find mushroom stock, use low sodium vegetable stock
1 cup reserved porcini broth
2 tb Hungarian sweet paprika
1 tb. Spanish smoked paprika
3 tb. fresh dill, chopped
2 tb. low sodium soy sauce
4 tb. Earth Balance margarine
6 tb. all purpose flour
2 cups skim milk
1 tb. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Prepare porcini mushrooms as directed by package label. Reserve one cup broth. Chop mushrooms.
In large stockpot, saute onions in 4 tb. mushroom stock over medium heat until onions become translucent, about ten minutes.
Add the mushrooms (including porcini), dill, two cups mushroom stock, 1/2 cup of the reserved porcini broth, soy sauce, paprika, tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for fifteen minutes.
In a large saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook one minute. Slowly add milk and continue to whisk to prevent flour from clumping. You will end up with a cream-like sauce.
Pour the sauce into the mushroom mixture. Add the remaining porcini broth and mushroom broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Just before serving add the lemon juice.
