I only make this a couple of times of year because one of the people in our family does not like mushrooms. We think he’s crazy. This is a rich, creamy, mushroomy soup brightened by the addition of fresh dill. It’s so good with crusty artisan bread, a simple green salad and a glass of your favorite red. Easy to prepare and even better the next day.
Makes 6-8 Servings
INGREDIENTS
- 4 T salted butter
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped (approximately 2 cups)
- 1 organic leek, white parts only, chopped (approximately 1/2 cup)
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced (approximately 3 tablespoons)
- 1 lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 lb button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced without stems (you can use dried shiitakes as well. Just rehydrate first)
- 1 T dry dill
- 1 tsp dry thyme
- 3 T Hungarian paprika
- 6 C chicken broth, homemade or store-bought (or clear vegetable broth)
- 1 T fresh lemon juice
- 4 T flour (or other gluten free thickening agent)
- 1 C heavy cream (Use heavy. It’s so much better!)
- 1/2 C Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/2 C creme fraiche or sour cream at room temperature (important to have room temp so not to curdle)
- 1/2 C fresh dill, chopped
In a large stock pot or or dutch oven on medium heat, add butter and olive oil, onions and leeks. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add garlic and mushroom and saute for another 5 minutes until mushrooms are cooked. Scoop about 2 cups of the mushrooms out of the saute and set aside. With pan still on medium heat, add dill, thyme, paprika, broth and lemon juice cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. While soup is simmering, take a medium bowl and add flour, cream and wine. With an emersion blender, mix ingredients well so there are no starch lumps. Pour mixture into hot soup, add in room temperature creme fraiche and blend soup with emersion blender until creamy. Reduce heat to medium low, add reserved mushrooms back into the soup, cover pot and cook for another 15 minutes – stirring often. The soup should be thicker after 15 minutes, but not like a chowder. You want a little slurp to the soup. Add in fresh dill, cracked black pepper and season with salt. To serve, garnish with more dill, creme fraiche and if so desired, hot sauce.