Tis the season for comforting soups on the couch with a crackling fire in PJs… like this Rustic Creamy Mushroom Soup. Makes a delicious pot pie filling too!
I don’t know about y’all, but this is soup and stew season for me. And I don’t need anything too fancy either.
Most of us have mushroom farms nearby and can find on Saturdays at our local farmers’ markets. But if not, we’re fortunate to have a good mix to choose from at our local grocery stores.
Speaking of mushrooms… let’s talk UMAMI for a minute. Umami is one of the five basic tastes, alongside sweet, bitter, salty, and sour. Do you know what that is? Heard the word but clueless? Here’s a nutshell description from the The Mushroom Council:
Umami is the fifth basic taste after sweet, salty, bitter and sour.
Derived from the Japanese word umami, meaning “delicious,” umami (pronounced oo-MAH-mee) is described as a savory, brothy, rich or meaty taste sensation. To scientists, umami indicates a high level of glutamate, an amino acid and building block of protein. To chefs and food lovers, it’s a satisfying sense of deep, complete flavor, balancing savory flavors and full-bodied taste with distinctive qualities of aroma and mouthfeel. Foods like mushrooms, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and green tea are rich in umami.
Mushrooms are a mouthful of umami! They add a distinct richness hard to put into words. And when you r.o.a.s.t them… goodness gracious! You just amplify the umaminess! (<— I made up that word.) If interested, here are other umami rich foods to keep on hand and enjoy.
If pot pie is your thing on a chilly winter’s day, simply use a little less broth or thicken with a cornstarch slurry… top with a crust or mashed taters and bake until nice and bubbly. You can even fix for your meat lovers by adding some deboned rotisserie chicken! No matter which way, I do hope you’ll add these things to your shopping list and make some. You’ll be so glad you did.
Enjoy with a side of my Buttery Cinnamon Bun Popovers too. The sweet and savory combination is a harmonious pairing!
This recipe created for and published in Carolina Country Magazine December 2023 © (copyrighted)
Propping/styling and photography by Wendy Perry
Carolina Country Magazine Contributing Recipes Editor
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Rustic Creamy Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 3 8 oz. cartons assorted mushrooms (1 whole, 2 sliced)
- 4 tablespoons oil divided
- 3 large cloves garlic divided
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 large turnip diced
- several large shallots thinly sliced
- 1 package fresh poultry blend mix (produce dept.)
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup sherry
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- freshly cracked black pepper
- salt (taste when done before salting)
- 1 cup milk optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 450 degrees. Cut whole mushrooms into quarters and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil. Roast about 25 minutes until crispy. During final 3 minutes, zest 1 clove of garlic over mushrooms and toss. Set aside. (You can drain, but I like to leave the garlicky oil to spoon onto soup with the mushrooms.)
- Heat remaining oil with butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Sauté vegetables until tender, stirring frequently.
- Roughly chop both packages of sliced mushrooms and mix with fresh herbs, reserving a few sprigs of thyme for garnish. Zest 2 cloves of garlic into mixture and add remaining ingredients (except milk) and cook for about 3 minutes more.
- Bring to a slow boil, then turn to low; cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Garnish with the roasted mushroom ‘croutons’ and thyme.
- For a creamy soup like ours, purée a cup of the cooked vegetables with milk. Stir into soup.
