Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with Asiago Cheese Bread

mushroom soup

When the weather turns with cooler temps the first thing I always want to make is a big pot of soup. This cream of wild mushroom soup is surprisingly easy to make, it’s comforting and cozy and has a rich complex flavor.

wild mushrooms

It’s made with a mix of wild and cremini mushrooms, some of which I purchased at an Asian market. By the way did you know that specialty mushrooms bought at an Asian market are a fraction of the cost that you would pay in a regular supermarket? So when I go I usually buy a bunch.

For this soup I combined cremini with oyster, king oyster, shiitake and brown beech. Using a mix of some of the wild varieties results in an earthy depth of flavor that would rival any gourmet soup, but honestly if you can’t find them just go with cremini as opposed to the white button mushrooms you see everywhere.

simmered mushrooms

Fresh thyme, shallots and garlic are the base for this soup with added broth for the mushrooms to soak up the flavors while they’re simmering in the pot.

mushroom soup

This soup is rich and elegant and can be served as a first course, a fantastic lunch or light dinner served with my cheesy Asiago toast.

pot of mushroom soup

There’s just a small amount of heavy cream swirled in at the end of cooking, it’s optional but I would highly recommend using it because it makes the soup exceptional!

For a nice presentation roast off some of the mushrooms and set aside to use for garnishing the top.

mushroom soup

This creamy wild mushroom soup can be a go to week night meal or fancy enough to serve during the upcoming holidays, and it only takes around a half hour to pull it together. It stays well in the fridge so it can be made a day or two ahead of time, then just heat it up and garnish!

cheese bread

If you need a little crunch factor on the side,

Spilt a baguette in half, drizzle with olive oil and place into a 400 degree oven just until it starts to get golden, then pull it out and spread shredded Asiago cheese all over with fresh chopped parsley or other herbs of your choice, then place under a broiler until it all melts.

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5.0 from 1 reviews
Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with Asiago cheese Bread
 
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Ingredients
  • 1½ to 2 lbs. mushrooms, a mix of wild along with cremini ( if unable to find wild mushrooms you can use all cremini) chopped.
  • additional mushrooms set aside for garnish that have been pre-roasted
  • 2 large shallots, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane
  • broth, chicken or veggie, enough to cover the top of the sautéed mushrooms ( I used a little over a quart)
  • olive oil
  • butter
  • parsley and thyme
  • ¼ cup heavy cream ( optional but highly recommended!)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a stock pot add a knob of butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the bottom of the pan.
  2. Add in the chopped shallots and garlic. Cook until they soften a bit.
  3. Add the chopped mushrooms, salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
  4. Cook mushroom mix until they soften up and all the flavors meld, around 15 minutes.
  5. Next, pour in enough broth to cover the top of the mushrooms.
  6. Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for around 20-30 minutes.
  7. Use an immersion blender to whiz it up right in the pot to reach the texture you like, it will thicken up as you're doing this.
  8. Swirl in the cream, tasting and adjusting for seasoning, adding more thyme, salt and pepper if needed.
  9. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the roasted reserved mushrooms, chopped parsley and thyme.
  10. Enjoy!

 

Signature

Caprese Style Portobellos

caprese stuffed portobellosI love the large portobello mushroom caps because basically you can stuff them with almost anything you want resulting in a beautiful meal that you created in no time. You don’t need a bunch of ingredients to make them and you feel totally satisfied after you’ve eaten them.
stuffed portobello We often eat these as a main course during the week along with a nice big salad but if you want to make them as a delicious side dish next to grilled chops or a steak, I’m here to tell you they go perfectly together!

caprese mush
What’s not to like? All the flavors of a caprese salad plopped into a large portobello cap! It’s good, it’s really good.

caprese mush11One of the reasons this tastes so good is that you cut and prepare your cherry tomatoes ahead of time letting them sit in a bowl for a few minutes with your olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper, letting all the flavors meld together. I also like to scrape out the gills, it gives you more room for all the toppings, and of course good tomatoes are the key!

caprese mush9And lastly, and I wouldn’t say this unless I meant it, but if you really want to take the whole flavor experience over the top, finish it off some balsamic glaze!

Caprese Style Portobellos
 
Ingredients
  • large portobello mushroom caps, gills removed
  • cherry tomatoes, halved
  • shredded or fresh mozzarella ( although I've tried both I prefer the dryer shredded version for this because of the moisture factor seeping out)
  • fresh basil
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.
  3. Brush the caps and rims with olive oil on each mushroom.
  4. Slice cherry or grape tomatoes in half, place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, add chopped basil, salt and pepper. Let it sit for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.
  5. Place your cheese on the bottom of the mushroom cap, spoon on the tomato basil mixture and bake until cheese melts and mushrooms are cooked but not overcooked.
Signature

" STUFFED PORTOBELLA’S"

This is my idea of FAST FOOD! This is something I make quite often especially when I’m in a hurry, and we’re not in a meat mood.

The ingredients are simple, as you can see above. I usually make a quick marinara with good tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic. In the meantime, I scrape the gills out of the portabella’s, you don’t have too, but I personally think it makes my sauce dark looking sometimes. Next, I mix some GOOD ricotta with romano cheese, 1 egg, you could use fresh parsley, chopped spinach, whatever! I also mix a little shredded mozzarella in there too, finish with salt and pepper.

Now, layer your pan with sauce, place your caps in, drizzle them with olive oil, and then put sauce as the first layer. Now, take your ricotta mixture and fill your cap up with it. Finally, top it off with a little more sauce. Thats it!! Bake till mushroom gets tender at 375


A nice salad, a glass of wine, and you got a light and tasty dinner!!

Buon Appetito!!!

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