Cream of Mushroom Soup

This rich, decadent soup is absolutely delicious on its own, or you can use it to add incredible flavour to your favourite casseroles. One taste and you’ll never go back to the canned variety. 

Note: You can use either fresh or dried herbs for this recipe, depending on what you have on hand. Fresh rosemary and thyme are both tough enough to stand up to the cooking process, unlike many fresh herbs that are best stirred in once the cook time is complete. If using fresh thyme, be sure to remove any woody stems before serving.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yields 6 cups

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon of unsalted butter
2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
450 grams of Portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons of dried rosemary (or 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped)
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme (or 1½ teaspoons of dried)
½ a cup of Marsala wine
2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, preferably organic
1 a cup of heavy cream, room temperature
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

Process:

1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once hot, add chopped onions and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes.
   
   
2. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for another 1-2 minutes.
   
   
3. Add mushrooms, rosemary, and thyme. Season with additional salt and black pepper, as desired, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the  mushrooms are nicely browned and start to release their liquids, approximately 5 minutes.
   
   
4. Add the Marsala wine and gently scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven with a spatula. Cook 1-2 minutes or until the wine is reduced by one half and the strong aroma dissipates.
   
   
5. Add the chicken or vegetable broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and temper the heavy cream by adding a couple tablespoons of the hot soup to it before stirring it into the soup.
   
   
6. Create a slurry by adding 3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from soup to the flour in a medium bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined and no lumps remain. Stir the slurry into the soup to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired, before serving.