Cream of Many Mushrooms Soup

This is a creamy, wonderful recipe- great for the holidays or even those chilly evenings when you want something cozy to eat.  My daughter Lacey, who is an avid mushroom hater, used to devour this soup every Christmas.  When she used to ask me what kind of soup it was, I would tell her “chicken”….all kinds of chickens- Shitoke chicken, Bella chicken, Button chicken…you get the drift.  Not really a total lie, because the base is chicken broth.  She cleaned her bowl every time without fail.  Maybe your mushroom hater would like this soup too!

Ingredients:

4 tbs Butter, 1 large leek, 1/4 cup flour, 1 large carton of chicken stock (1 cup which is hot), 1/2 cup white wine, 1/2 cup cream or half and half, 1 quart of fresh mushrooms, 1/2 tsp tarragon, salt and pepper to taste.

Gather a variety of mushrooms, about a quart of various types such as shitoke, bella, white and button.  Set aside.  Rough chop the white part of a leek and add to the food processor.  Process and set aside.

Next rough chop your mushrooms and add to food processor.  Save a mushroom or 2 to slice and use for garnish.

Set your saucepan over moderately low heat, add the butter.  When melted, stir in the leeks.

Cover and cook slowly 7 to 8 minutes or until leeks are translucent and tender.  Add 1/4 cup of flour, blending it in.  Stir slowly for 3 minutes, cooking the flour without letting it color.  Meanwhile, heat up a cup of the chicken stock in the microwave until hot.

Remove saucepan from heat, wait a few seconds for bubbling to stop and pour in the cup of hot chicken stock all at once, whisking to blend smoothly.

Whisk in the remaining chicken stock and white wine. Bring to simmer, stirring.

Fold in the mushrooms and tarragon, add salt and pepper, simmer 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Add in the cream and simmer a moment more. Taste and adjust seasonings.  Ladle into bowls garnished with a couple of mushroom slices.

YUM