photo by jenn kosar
First, let’s talk ingredients. If you are a regular here, you know I subscribe to the school of “quality ingredients are the key to great results” when it comes to home cooking. Use every opportunity you find to add great flavor at every stage of a recipe. For this soup, it comes in a jar of dried porcini mushrooms. They add that umami we love to soups, stews, and braises, but in my view, the texture of the rehydrated mushroom is less than desirable. Since we discard the mushroom itself, they are perfect for the mushroom stock in this recipe, as only the “mushroom water” forms the stock base. I like the D’Artaganan brand, available in gourmet grocery stores or online.
Wild mushrooms are fun to explore, but prepared mushrooms make this recipe way easier. The downside? They limit the quantity of trimmings necessary for the stock and come in package sizes that do not easily add up to one pound. I still often use the prepared versions, I just adjust the amount I purchase and use the excess for “trimmings”. Cremini, Shiitake, and Portobello make a good blend for this soup. The pre-mixed “wild mushroom blend” available at Whole Foods, King’s, and Fresh Direct is also good, but you need an extra package as there will not be any natural trimmings.
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photo by jenn kosar
If you don’t work with leeks often, here is what you need to know about preparing them. Leeks, unlike most vegetables, are washed after you chop them. First, remove the darkest green ends and the end of the bulb, as well as any outermost layers, similar to an onion. After slicing or chopping, depending on the recipe (thinly sliced in half-moons, in this case), place the pieces in a colander and rinse well. You need to use your hands to work the pieces under the water. Sand gets into the individual layers of leeks, so they require a good rinsing!
cream of wild mushroom soup
serves 6-8 as a filling lunch on its own, or with a side salad for dinner
prep time 15 minutes
total time under 65 minutes start to table, mostly active
ingredients
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Optional Parsley Oil Drizzle
1/8 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
5 tablespoons finishing quality olive oil
Salt and pepper
photo by jenn kosar
preparation
Rehydrate your porcini mushrooms. Place the entire contents of the container in a bowl with two cups of warm water for about 15 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. When they are done rehydrating, you will add the mushrooms to the stems and trimmings for the stock, and the “mushroom water” will form part of the stock base.
Prepare the mushrooms as needed depending on whether you purchased packaged or loose mushrooms. Regardless of how your mushrooms started, you should end with two bowls: one smaller bowl of rough-chopped stems and trimmings for the stock, and one larger bowl with bite-sized pieces of caps and mushroom parts for the soup.For packaged mushrooms, you may still need to remove some stems (see ingredient notes). Place those stems in a separate bowl for use in the stock. For loose mushrooms, clean them by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Remove the stems, coarsely chop them and set them aside for the stock. Chop all caps and remaining mushroom parts into bite size pieces for the soup and set aside.
photo by jenn kosar
Start the stock by heating 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot (note this should be different from your planned “soup pot”, especially if you plan to serve straight from that prettier pot later). Add the chopped mushroom stems, the rehydrated porcini mushrooms, the onion, the sprig of thyme (whole), 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Cook on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Add the 2 cups of “mushroom water” from the porcini rehydration and 4 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. You will want to keep the liquid at a bubbly simmer, as the aim is to reduce the liquid by about 25%. Strain, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids. If the process did not yield between 4 and 4 1/2 cups of liquid, add a little chicken stock or water.
photo by jenn kosar
While the stock is reducing, heat the remaining 4 ounces (eight tablespoons) of butter in a large soup pot (your pretty one). Add the leeks. Cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the leeks just begin to slightly brown at the edges. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes or until they are browned and tender. Resist the temptation to stir the mushrooms during this phase; you want a fond to develop on the bottom of the pan.
Add the white wine and stir for one minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. This is a process known as “deglazing” the pan to bring the flavor of the fond into the soup. Add the stock and cream cheese and stir to combine. The cream cheese may be a bit lumpy at first; you can use a whisk to break up the large lumps, but it will slowly melt during the rest of the cooking process. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes uncovered.
photo by jenn kosar
Remove the soup from heat. In a separate bowl, combine the heavy cream and egg yolks and whisk to thicken a bit. I like to wait until the soup has cooled a bit before adding this last touch of rich creaminess, as there is a risk you will cook the egg if you add it prematurely. Fold it into the soup until just combined.
As an optional garnish, combine oil, parsley, salt and pepper in a mason jar (or use a hand blender) to make a parsley oil. Drizzle on top of the soup just before serving. Or skip the blending and simply drizzle the oil and sprinkle the salt, pepper and parsley leaves on top just prior to serving.
photo by jenn kosar
A note on the nutrition information for this recipe for those focused on macros (the balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat in a recipe vs. the calorie count). The straight calculation based on ingredients used, assuming you use homemade chicken stock (or my recommended brand which has 0 carbs) is 10g of carbohydrates (8 net), 8g of protein, and 38g of fat, assuming 8 servings. However, about a third of the carbs in the recipe come from the porcini mushrooms which are tossed, so the actual carb count is lower. It is challenging to estimate macros in stock without a chemical analysis, but rest assured it is less!
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Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound mixed variety mushrooms, such as Shiitake, Portobello, and Cremini (see ingredient notes on prepared vs. loose mushroom quantities)
- 1 ounce container dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated (see ingredient notes)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (approximately 1 cup)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 2-3 leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced in half moon rounds (approximately 2 cups)
- 1 large sprig of fresh thyme plus 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves divided
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 egg yolks
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Optional Parsley Oil Drizzle
- 1/8 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 5 tablespoons finishing quality olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Ingredient notes
- Prepared mushrooms make this recipe way easier. The downside? They limit the quantity of trimmings necessary for the stock and come in package sizes that do not easily add up to one pound. I still use the prepared versions. The Cremini mushrooms, typically in an eight- or ten-ounce container, will require stem removal, which is used for the stock. Portobello slices are typically a 6 ounce container and will require a small amount of trimming, added to your stock. Shiitake typically is used whole, but also tends to come in a five-ounce container. Overall, the three will be about equal in the final soup and just under a pound of whole, chunky mushroom bites. If you purchase the pre-mixed “wild mushroom blend”, usually a 5-ounce container, buy four; three packages for the soup and one for the stock, as there will not be any natural trimmings.
- Dried porcini mushrooms add a lovely umami quality to soups, stews, and braises, but in my view, the texture of the rehydrated mushroom is less than desirable. They are perfect for the mushroom stock made in this recipe. But first, you must rehydrate. Place the entire contents of the container in a bowl with two cups of warm water for about 15 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. When they are done rehydrating, you will add the mushrooms to the stems and trimmings for the stock, and the “mushroom water” will form part of the stock base. I like the D’Artaganan brand, available in gourmet grocery stores or online.
- Leeks, unlike most vegetables, are washed after you chop them. To prepare the leeks, remove the darkest green ends and the very end of the bulb, as well as any outermost layers, similar to an onion. Slice the leek lengthwise, to create two half-moon shapes, and then slice thinly, about 1/4 inch pieces, until you have approximately 2 cups of white and light green pieces. Place the sliced pieces in a colander and rinse well, using your hands to work the pieces under the water. Sand gets into the individual layers of leeks, so they require a good rinsing!
Preparation
- Prepare the mushrooms as needed depending on whether you purchased packaged or loose mushrooms. For packaged mushrooms, you may still need to remove some stems (see ingredient notes). Place those stems in a separate bowl for use in the stock. For loose mushrooms, clean them by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Remove the stems, coarsely chop them and set them aside for the stock. Chop all caps and remaining mushroom parts into bite size pieces for the soup and set aside.
- Start the stock by heating 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the rehydrated porcini mushrooms, the onion, the sprig of thyme (whole), 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Cook on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the 2 cups of “mushroom water” from the porcini rehydration and 4 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. You will want to keep the liquid at a bubbly simmer, as the aim is to reduce the liquid by about 25%. Strain, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids. If the process did not yield between 4 and 4 1/2 cups of liquid, add a little chicken stock or water.
- While the stock is reducing, heat the remaining 4 ounces (eight tablespoons) of butter in a large soup pot (your pretty one). Add the leeks. Cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the leeks just begin to slightly brown at the edges. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes or until they are browned and tender. Resist the temptation to stir the mushrooms so that a fond develops.
- Add the white wine and stir for one minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and cream cheese and stir to combine. Whisk if necessary to break up larger lumps. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes uncovered.
- Remove the soup from heat. In a separate bowl, combine the heavy cream and egg yolks and whisk to thicken a bit. When the soup is cool enough, fold it into the soup until just combined.
Serving
- As an optional garnish, combine oil, parsley, salt and pepper in a mason jar (or use a hand blender) to make a parsley oil. Drizzle on top of the soup just before serving. Or simply drizzle the oil and sprinkle the salt, pepper and parsley leaves on top just prior to serving.
photo by jenn kosar
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