Cream of Mushroom Soup with Fresh Morels
A simple cream of morel mushroom soup made with fresh mushrooms, vegetables, and Minnesota wild rice.
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 366kcal
Cost: 20
Equipment
- 1 3 quart soup pot
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow onion diced ¼ inch
- 1 cup celery diced ¼ inch
- 1 cup leek tender white and green parts only, diced ¼ inch
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 8-12 oz fresh morel mushrooms
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry sherry or white wine
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- A handful of chive blossoms to garnish, optional
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup cooked natural wild rice or manoomin
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a 3 quart or similarly sized saucepan. Add the celery, onion and leek and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Take your time and make sure the vegetables are well cooked.
- Add the morels and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are wilted, about another 5 minutes, seasoning with a pinch of salt. The morels will cook faster if you cover the pan, just make sure not to burn the bottom.
- Add the flour and stir to combine, the mixture will get thick. Add the wine and stir well, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Add 1 cup of the chicken stock, stirring constantly, then add the rest. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook until the mixture is thickened, another 5 minutes.
- Add the cream and simmer until lightly thickened. At this point, if you want a smooth soup you can pulse it with a hand blender, if you do, omit the wild rice.
- Add the wild rice if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning for salt to taste and serve garnished with chive blossoms.
- The soup will be thicker and improve in flavor if it’s allowed to rest for 8 hours or overnight before serving. It will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
While any of the 20 or so varieties of morel in North America can be used, in my opinion this will be the finest made with Morchella esculentoides-the riverbank morel found in the Midwest. Black morels from the Pacific Northwest or the Midwest are ok, but they lack some of the nutty character and depth of flavor, which is why they're half the price.
Nutrition
Serving: 8oz | Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 692mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1303IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 8mg