A Hungry Bear

This recipe has been in my bookcase since… college maybe? I remember the first time I made it, transferring batches of the soup into my blender, thinking I was being so efficient by filling the blender to the brim, only to have cream of mushroom soup explode all over my little rental apartment. No wonder it’s been in the bookcase and not out on the counter for me to cook for so many years. Now that I have a little more cooking common sense (okay, at least I have a stick blender now), I’ve finally gotten over my fears. I bet no one cares about this mushroom soup today, as we’ve had a few days of warm weather and a preview of spring… but just remember this soup recipe when it’s cold and rainy next week. It will carry you through the cold parts of March, I promise.

(Note: recipe adapted from Emeril on Food Network - I made a half batch, or 4 servings, and also skipped his garlic croutons. The amounts referenced below are for my adapted half-batch.)

Grocery list: 3 tablespoons butter, 1 rib celery, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 small yellow onion, 10 ounces wild mushrooms (mix of oyster, shiitake and cremini), 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 tablespoons brandy, 3 cups chicken stock, 3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half, pinch cayenne pepper.

Chop the onions, celery and garlic.

Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth, then slice.

Melt the butter over medium high heat.

Add the celery and onions to the butter, along with a pinch of cayenne pepper (A doesn’t tolerate much heat so I only added about 1/8 teaspoon, but you could give it a little more kick I’m sure).

Cook until soft and the onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Mix in the mushrooms and thyme, and a generous pinch of salt to help the mushrooms release their juices. Cook until the mushrooms start to brown, about 7-8 minutes.

Add the brandy to deglaze the pan - stir until the alcohol has evaporated. I’m including this picture of the brandy - even though it turned out fuzzy because I was playing with some settings on the camera and screwed up the shutter speed, the whiskey cocktail in the background says otherwise. Anyway, add the chicken stock and bring to a boil Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

At this point, I removed some of the sliced mushrooms with a slotted spoon. I wanted to add them back in, for texture, after pureeing the rest of the soup. You could go either way though - do you want something to chew on in the soup, or do you want to be able to slurp it down? Your call. Whatever is left in the pot, puree with a stick blender until smooth. You could also puree in batches in a blender or food processor, but make sure you let the soup cool a little bit first (and never fill the bowl more than half way!).

Stir the cream or half and half into the soup, and season with salt and pepper. Heat over medium heat for a few minutes till the soup is hot enough.