My Cream of Mushroom Soup.

 

Comforting and delicious...

Normally, when my wife thinks mushroom soup, she thinks canned and is instantly  turned off by it. So, when she was feeling bad one day, I thought, what about fresh? She does love mushrooms, so the worst that could happen is she wouldn't like it much. This is what I made. She loved it. Here's the key for you, too.

You'll need to start - 

1 cup each of shiitake or oyster, cremini, and white mushrooms (keep about a dozen creminis on hand)

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 cloves chopped local garlic cloves (local has roots and much more flavor)

10-12 thyme sprigs, bundled with twine

1/2 cup white wine (no preference)

1/2 cup chicken broth (keep the container on hand)

salt and pepper on hand

for the finish - 

chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

the remaining creminis, either sliced or chopped, your preference

In a deep saucepan, coat the bottom with olive oil (option - garlic butter) at medium heat. When ready, add and sauté onions and garlic until slightly translucent. Add mushrooms and let them cook down until reduced and slightly caramelized. Add the thyme and lightly season with salt and pepper (I use kosher salt - you can use less for more flavor and a pepper mill - available at any grocery store.)

Add the wine and stir it in, making sure it helps deglaze the pan. Once done, lower the heat a little and add the 1/2 cup of broth and let it simmer till reduced a bit (about 15-20 minutes.) Remove from heat and take out thyme bundle.

For this part, you can use a food processor or immersion blender - I find the latter more convenient, because you can do the same thing while it's in the pan. Blend until liquified. Add the remaining creminis and some more broth if needed. Simmer until the creminis are cooked through and add the half and half. Heat till ready, stirring to mix in the liquid to the base.

That's it! Add a couple of thyme leaves to garnish and serve!