Winter time is soup time! Now that the temperatures have dropped in NY I crave a big bowl of hearty soup! One of my favorites and most popular is my Mushroom Soup. I have created a thick and savory soup without adding cream….you can of course finish it off with a touch of ricotta or mascarpone cheese.

Mushroom Soup

EASY and ready in approx. an hour – serves 6

Ingredients:

2 lbs mixed wild mushrooms cleaned and sliced
(crimini, shitake, oyster, porcini)
1 head of garlic
4 shallots peeled and finely chopped
¼ cup of fresh thyme leaves
1 qt. organic vegetable stock
4-5 medium Yukon gold potatoes
sea salt & Pepper
handful fresh parsley and chives, clean and roughly chop
*grilled crostini

Take garlic and slice off approx.. ¼ in of the top. Place in foil and coat with olive oil. Wrap lightly in foil and bake in oven at 400F for approximately 40 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Peel add quarter potatoes and boil till almost cooked through, do not want them too watery. Strain and let cool.

In a large casserole pot, I like my Staub for just about everything, add a couple tablespoons of Olive Oil and mushrooms. Stir to coat with olive oil, add more oil if needed. Mix in shallots, thyme, season with salt and pepper. Add approximately 1 cup of warm water and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove approximately 3/4 cup of mushroom mixture to be used as garnish when serving the soup. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil and simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove approx. Mix in potatoes and let cool. When cool, puree soup in small batches in a Cuisinart. Pour back in pot, mix in parsley and chives. (save a little to sprinkle when serving soup) Season again to taste. I do like to add a little chile pepper or Ancho powder.

When serving, place crostini on top and sprinkle a little mushroom mixture in center with a little parsley and chives.

*grilled crostini – take ¾” slices of ciabatta and grill on a cast iron pan generously coated with olive oil. Toast each side till crisp and golden.