Cream of Mushroom Soup...Hash Slinger style

There are times I cook food other than candy...sometimes...HA! We have a few picky eaters around our house but although picky, we have a palate for hearty dishes. This is our twist on a traditional soup and is great frozen for later use as well! This soup is a power house during the cold/flu season with bone broth and mushrooms--both are PACKED full of immunity boosters!

---

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pkg fresh rosemary
1 pkg fresh sage
1 small yellow onion, finely minced
4 garlic cloves, pressed/minced
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
(2) 8oz pkg baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
(2) 8oz pkg white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
(2) 1/2 oz pkg dried oyster mushrooms (porcini or shitakes are okay too)
6 cups bone broth or chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Reconstitute the dried mushrooms by placing in a glass measuring bowl with 1 cup boiling water for about 30 min. Then, pull mushrooms from the water using tongs and place in food processor to finely chop. Place a coffee filter into a funnel and filter the mushroom water through the funnel into another measuring cup (reserve this water for later use). 

2. In 8 qt stockpot--heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add the fresh sage and 2 sprigs of the fresh rosemary. Cook in oil (flipping occasionally) until the herbs are wilted. Then, add minced onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent (stirring occasionally). 

3. Add the fresh mushrooms to the oil/onion mixture and cook for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally.  Using tongs, remove as much of the fresh herbs (especially the rosemary stems) as you can--it is okay to leave some of the leaves if you cannot remove them all. 

4. Reduce heat to medium and add the bone broth/chicken stock and mushroom water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes. 

5. Add the cream and butter. Stir until the butter is melted. Let simmer on low-medium for about 10 minutes--stirring occasionally. 

6. Lastly, you can serve as is--or for creamy soup...
--Using an immersion blender; blend to desired consistency in pot.
--Using a blender/processor appliance; in batches, puree the soup to desired consistency. 

NOTE: If the soup isn't as thick as you prefer after blending... in a small bowl, add 2 tbsp corn starch to 1/4 cup water and mix until smooth. Add mixture to soup and heat over medium-high until just before a boil and then simmer on low for a few minutes to thicken.

Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe