Cream of Mushroom and Herb Soup

During this (hopefully) last stretch of winter, try making this delicious and simple cream of mushroom and herb soup to warm yourself up. This recipe, which comes courtesy of Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery in Traverse City, uses baby bella mushrooms, which have a slightly earthier flavor than traditional button mushrooms — but you could really use any type of mushroom you like. Enjoy this rich soup with a glass of Pinot Noir. 

Cook Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• ½ stick of butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• three 8-ounce containers of sliced baby bella mushrooms
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 cup Pinot Noir
• 6 cups chicken stock (not broth)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
• heavy cream, ½ cup to 1 cup depending on how creamy you like it
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (the amount of salt will vary depending on the saltiness of your chicken stock)
• ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute till tender. Add mushrooms and continue to saute until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
2. Add flour and continue to stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the Pinot Noir and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Next, add the chicken stock and herbs. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
3. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a traditional blender to puree the soup in batches. Finally, add cream, salt (the amount of salt will vary depending on the chicken stock you use), and pepper and stir to combine.