Recipe: Cream of Mushroom Soup

Soup is a comfort food and we've needed some comfort lately. Cream of Mushroom soup is one of the comfort foods my family returns to on a regular basis. This soup is easily a meal in itself, but I usually serve it with garlic bread and a small spinach salad. I wrote this recipe for the St. Mark Parish Cookbook last year. I hope you like it.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

• 2 (10 oz.) packages of mushrooms. Try to mix it up. I usually use one package of white button mushrooms and one package of exotics.
• 2 stalks of celery.
• 1 medium onion.
• 1 stick of butter. I use un-salted, but it's your preference.
• 6 Tablespoons of Brandy, Sherry or a good Red Wine. Don't use that nasty "cooking" stuff, use liquor you would actually drink!
• 6 Tablespoons flour.
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic.
• 4 (14 oz.) cans of broth or 56 oz. of home made stock. I usually mix it up between chicken and vegetable stocks. If you want to make this a vegetarian meal, use only vegetable stock.
• 16 oz. Water.
• 1 Pint Heavy or Whipping Cream.
• 4 to 6 oz. of Cream Cheese.
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Roughly chop onion, celery and mushrooms. Melt butter in a large non-reactive soup pot. Add celery and onion. Saute until onion is translucent. Add garlic and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms are reduced and have released their juices. While stirring constantly slowly add the flour one tablespoon at a time. You will be making a roux of the flour and butter. Let the roux cook for a few minutes until the flour is light brown. Add the brandy, sherry or wine. Slowly add the broth and water. Stir and mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pot and simmer for about 45 minutes. Mix in heavy or whipping cream, simmer about 5 minutes until the cream is hot. Remove from heat and process soup in a blender, or use a stick mixer right in the pot. Stir in the cream cheese. Return to heat and heat gently for about 10 minutes. Do not boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves about 12.