Mushroom Soup

This is a very savory, simple soup that can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes. Sounds good, no? Make sure to serve it with some crunchy toasts, or even better, with a Tenderloin "En Crosta" like I made tonight. You won't be disappointed.


Mushroom Soup
serves 2

2 Tbsp butter
olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 8-oz. package button mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 6-oz. package cremini (baby Bella) mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 c. homemade chicken stock*
1 c. vegetable stock
.5 c. dry white wine
1 beef bouillion cube
fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

*The chicken stock I made was pretty thick and viscous, so I chose to mix it with some boxed vegetable stock I had on hand. Feel free to use 2 cups of whatever stock you have instead.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat until foamy. Add mushrooms and saute until the excess moisture evaporates and they are golden brown. Mushrooms love to soak up oil, but they do release it, so fight the temptation to add more. Spoon into a bowl and set aside.


Reduce heat to medium. Add a splash of olive oil to the pan, if necessary. Saute shallots until soft and translucent, but not too browned. Add the wine and bouillion cube, stir until combined and slightly reduced. Add the stock and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Toss the mushrooms, and whatever juices have accumulated, back into the pot, along with the fresh herbs. Simmer for 3-4 minutes more, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then serve.