Mushroom Soup, a craving satisfied.

Cravings, I get them. I'm sure you get them too, you wake up one morning and all you can think about is that you really have to eat this thing, taste it. It haunts you, you can smell it everywhere you go and you start reliving memories of times you sat and ate it, how it made you feel, who you were with and where. I had one of these all consuming cravings last month and took matters into my own hands.

I was doubtful I would be able, with the scant few items in my pantry and fridge be able to pull this dish off without going to the store and since leaving the house was not an option I didn't get my hopes up to high. I searched and hunted poking my nose into every resource I had; cookbooks, family, the internet. Then I found it, THE recipe that would save me from my stomach.

Soup; creamy, earthy, palate pleasing, belly warming mushroom soup. Thank you Epicurious for this recipe from Anthony Bourdain. I glanced over it and was excited, not only is it casein free (for I had no dairy to speak of in the fridge) but it was also naturally gluten free. I made this recipe almost exactly as written, the only changes I made were to add a few shitake mushrooms as well as using crimini instead of button. I have to tell you, I didn't share any of this... not that my husband would have wanted any but I horded it. This soup is absolutely delicious and it was so easy to make its silly. Try it, you won't be sad you did.

Mushroom Soup
Anthony Bourdain @ epicurious.com

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp/75 g butter
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 12 ounces/340 g button mushrooms
• 4 cups/900 ml light chicken stock or broth
• 1 sprig of flat parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 2 ounces/56 ml high-quality sherry (don't use the cheap grocery-store variety; it's salty and unappetizing and will ruin your soup)
  

Equipment

• Medium saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Blender
  

Method

In the medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons/28 g of the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the mushrooms and the remaining butter. Let the mixture sweat for about 8 minutes, taking care that the onion doesn't take on any brown color. Stir in the chicken stock and the parsley and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.

After an hour, remove the parsley and discard. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and carefully blend at high speed until smooth. Do I have to remind you to do this in stages, with the blender's lid firmly held down, and with the weight of your body keeping that thing from flying off and allowing boiling hot mushroom purée to erupt all over your kitchen?

When blended, return the mix to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and bring up to a simmer again. Add the sherry, mix well, and serve immediately.

Improvisation
To astound your guests with a Wild Mushroom Soup, simply replace some of those button mushrooms with a few dried cèpes or morels, which have been soaked until soft, drained, and squeezed. Not too many; the dried mushrooms will have a much stronger taste, and you don't want to overwhelm the soup. Pan sear, on high heat, a single small, pretty, fresh chanterelle or morel for each portion, and then slice into a cute fan and float on top in each bowl.

And if you really want to ratchet your soup into pretentious (but delicious), drizzle a few tiny drops of truffle oil over the surface just before serving. Why the hell not? Everybody else is doing it.

Recipe taken from epicurious.com