Recipe#1: Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
1 lb regular white mushrooms, cleaned, quartered and sliced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ bay leaf
2 tbsp minced shallots
2 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cup chicken stock
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water
Minced parsley, for garnishing
Preparation
Coarsely chop mushrooms and lemon juice in a food processor. Melt butter in a saucepan and lightly fry the shallots over a medium heat. Then add mushrooms, bay leaf and thyme and fry over a moderate heat for about 10-15 minutes, until the liquid releasing from mushroom disappears. Then add salt, cream, pepper and chicken stock and bring it to boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer it for about 20 minutes. Then add cornstarch and simmer it for about 10 minutes, with a continuous stirring. Correct seasoning and add more lemon juice for more taste. Sprinkle with a little parsley before serving.
Recipe#2: Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
12 ounces/340 g button mushrooms
4 tbsp butter
4 cups light chicken stock or broth
1 small onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 sprig of flat parsley
2 ounces high-quality sherry
Preparation
In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter over a medium hear and then add onion. Cook until the onion becomes soft and translucent. Then add mushrooms and remaining butter. Cook the mixture for about 8 minutes, taking care that onion doesnt turn brown. Add chicken stock with a continuous stirring and then add parsley. Bring it to boil. Immediately reduce heat and allow it boil slowly for about an hour.
Then remove the parsley and discard. Let the soup cool for a few minutes and carefully blend it in a blender at high speed, until it becomes smooth. Then transfer it to a pot and season with pepper and salt. Boil slowly again. Add sherry, mix it well and serve immediately.
Recipe#3: Mushroom Soup With Chestnuts and Roasted Fennel
Ingredients
6 small fennel bulbs, stalks removed, halved lengthwise
1 lb white button mushrooms, wiped of grit and coarsely chopped
1 lb chanterelle mushrooms, wiped and coarsely chopped
1 lb oyster mushrooms, wiped and coarsely chopped
3 quarts chicken stock
1 lb cooked chestnuts
½ cup heavy cream
1 large onion, chopped
½ bunch fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped from the stem
¼ cup unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh chopped chives, for garnishing
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the fennel halves with cut-side up in a baking dish. Moisten it with enough olive oil to come up halfway. Then season it with a sufficient quantity of pepper and salt. Roast it for about 30 minutes, or until it completely becomes tender. The roaster fennel is the base of soup; hence it should be soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Melt butter in a large pot over a medium heat and then add garlic and onion. Fry it for about 4 minutes, until it becomes translucent. Add thyme into the pan along with the mushrooms and then season it with pepper and salt. Cook for about 10-15 minutes with constant stirring, until the mushrooms give off the liquid. Then add chestnuts and cook for a few more minutes, until they get some nice color. Remove about 1 cup of mixture and save it for garnishing the soup.
Pour the stock into a pot and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil slowly uncovered for about 15 minutes. Stir it occasionally. Remove it from heat and make a puree of the soup using a blender, until it becomes smooth. Add cream to offer a rich flavor. Then simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Then add pepper and salt to taste. Before serving, garnish the soup with the reserved mushrooms and chestnuts, a sprinkle of chopped chives
