Ingredients
- 1.5 lb mushrooms white button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, portobello, or a mix; see the notes below, (680 grams), sliced
- 2 tbsp butter salted or unsalted
- 1 brown onion medium (about 1/2 cup when finely diced)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp Italian-style dried seasoning
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour level tablespoons, not heaped, about 15 grams total
- 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option, 1.2 liters
- 3/4 cup double cream 6 fl.oz/175 ml
- zest from one lemon
- 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes measured after chopping
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- a pinch of salt & pepper to taste
- garnishes (to serve with): croutons and more chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms, stirring often, until the liquid has almost evaporated and the mushrooms got some color (about 12 min).
- Add the finely diced onion to the mushrooms. Sauté, stirring, until the onion has softened (about 2-3 minutes). Be careful not to burn the onion. Reduce the heat if needed.
- Add the minced garlic, Italian-style dried seasoning, and lemon zest. Mix it all in for about 20-30 seconds.
- Add the flour, stirring it in, toasting it for a few seconds.
- Add a cup of stock to the pot, stirring and scraping the bottom (to deglaze and dissolve the fond formed at the bottom of the pot). Add the rest of the stock, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat as needed to make sure the soup is simmering not boiling hard.
- Once the mushrooms are soft, remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup.
- Once the soup is blended, add the cream. If you’ve used a countertop blender, put the soup back in the pot (carefully). Bring the soup to a simmer and turn off the hob/take off the heat when it just starts boiling (don’t let it boil).
- Once the pot is removed from the heat, add lemon juice, parmesan, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and stir everything in. The soup is now ready to be served.
Notes
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: If you can’t find sun-dried tomatoes in stores & can’t make them at home, omit them rather than substitute them. If omitting them, you can add another tablespoon of lemon juice to the soup. DON’T use fresh or canned tomatoes instead of the sun-dried tomatoes.
Mushrooms: You can use white button mushrooms, cremini/brown mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, or a mix of these. The cremini and portobello have more flavor and more texture but white button mushrooms are more accessible.
Parmesan: The best one is the real Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano). It’s best to grate it at home rather than buy it pre-grated.
Italian-style seasoning: It’s simply a blend of herbs like oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. You can buy this pre-made or make it at home by mixing your favorite combination of these dried herbs.
Blending the Soup: I like to use an immersion blender as you can blend it safely in the pot straight away. I also like a bit of texture to the mushroom soup, which is perfectly achieved with an immersion blender.
Using a countertop blender. You can use a countertop blender if you want a very smooth texture to the soup. But you have to be very careful when blending hot soup in a countertop blender. First, be careful when transferring the hot soup to the blender. Next, only fill the blender halfway. Put a lid on but remove the center cap from the lid and cover it with a kitchen towel. The towel prevents hot soup from splashing but it also allows the steam to escape rather than build up inside the blender. You’ll have to blend the soup in batches this way. It’s another reason I prefer the immersion blender.