Ina Garten – Serves 8 to 10

I grew up eating Campbell’s mushroom soup in French bean, tuna, and broccoli casseroles. It is the base used by the 1950s homemaker who used the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I beg you to go directly to your pantry and get rid of every can of soup you own. These soups are full of preservatives and sodium, and the can leaves an unpleasant metallic taste in the food. If you don’t start out with good, fresh ingredients, your food is going to taste like a can.

Learning how to make soup is a great skill for any home cook to master. It teaches you how to build depth, balance, and develop flavors in the dishes that you cook. I learned this from a wacky chef named Patrick, a chef-owner of an unassuming restaurant in Los Olivos that came highly recommended with a word of caution – “Patrick could be a little grumpy.”

Taking a break from our wine tasting tour of the region, a few friends and I stopped in the restaurant for lunch. True to the warning, Patrick was chastising a group of customers who had parked illegally at the entrance of his establishment. He must have noticed the look of horror on my face when he threatened to “cut them with his chef’s knife” and he walked toward me to explain the situation. Eager to get on his good side, I asked if he had a recommendation for lunch. He immediately began to describe why his soups were the best, thanks to the homemade stock, fresh vegetables, and the time he spent developing flavors. What he lacked in customer service skills, he made up for with his cooking. I had the most delicious cream of mushroom soup I had ever tasted.

This recipe for Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup is very close to Patrick’s version.  No, I wasn’t crazy enough to ask for his recipe. We ate our soup, paid the bill, and skedaddled to the next winery. I assure you that this version of the soup is close. It has deep, complex flavors and a rich, creamy texture. The umami sensation of meaty and savory flavors combines with the herbs to make a super satisfying soup. As a bonus, you don’t have to worry about getting sliced up with the grumpy chef’s butcher knife.

Ingredients

• 5 oz Fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 5 oz Fresh Portobello mushrooms
• 5 oz Fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
• 1 T   Olive oil
• ¼ lb Unsalted butter (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon)
• 1 C   Yellow onion, chopped
• 1      Carrot, chopped
• 1      Sprig fresh thyme plus one teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
• 2 C   Chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• ¼ C   All-purpose flour
• 1 C   Dry white wine
• 1 C   Half-and-half
• 1 C   Heavy cream (or milk if you are thinking WOW! That’s a lot of cream!)
• ½ C  Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
•          Kosher salt        
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don’t wash them! Separate the
• stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if they are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. 
• To make the stock, heat the olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the
• chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, one teaspoon salt, and 1/2
• teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are
• soft.
• Add six cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water. 
• Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks.
• Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown.
• Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender.
• Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot.
• Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and one teaspoon pepper, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through, but do not boil. Serve hot.