Mushroom Soup

Origin:

Soups made from mushrooms (and/or mushrooms in a cream base) have deep roots going back centuries. Creamy sauces and white-sauced soups developed in France and Italy, such as the classical French “béchamel” white sauce, provided the foundation for what later evolved into cream-based mushroom soups.

In North America, the version known as “cream of mushroom soup” became popular when the Campbell’s company introduced its canned condensed version in 1934. Food historians note that Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup became so ubiquitous in casseroles and comfort foods that it has been described as “America’s béchamel.”

Across the world, mushroom soups appear in various cuisines tied to local mushroom-foraging traditions. In Mexico, for example, there is the clear mushroom soup known as caldo de hongos, made with seasonal wild mushrooms and regional herbs.

Ingredients

This mushroom soup isn’t an afterthought—it’s an invocation. Rich with umami and silken depth,

It calls on roasted mushrooms, slow-sautéed aromatics, and just enough cream (or not) to make you exhale with every spoonful.

8 ounces button mushrooms

4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms or 2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms

4 ounces oyster mushrooms or any other kind of mushrooms

1/4 cup onions, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour – can use corn starch or arrowroot powder to make it gluten free.

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cream

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon rosemary or thyme

How The Alchemy Happens

Cut the mushrooms into slices, then pulse half of them in a food processor in small batches for 10 to 20 seconds, just to break them down a little further.

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are soft.

Blend in flour and stir. If using cornstarch or arrowroot, add that at the end of cooking.

Add the chicken broth and heat until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.

Stir the cream with an additional tablespoon of flour and seasonings. Add the cream to the soup and heat to thicken, stirring frequently.