Cream of mushroom and leek soup

So I've been working on this post for a week now. Maybe I can finish it up today. I hope that explains how my days have been going. This job is really cutting into my blogging time. 

I made this fabulous soup last Sunday and we gulped it down. Or I should say I gulped it down. JR took a little more time but he tends to eat slower than I do. It was that great.

I had gone to my local Kroger (which in Washington State is called Fred Meyers) to do a little shopping when I found oyster and baby portabellas mushrooms on Manager Special. SCORE! 

If you don't have a Kroger/Fred Meyer/I'm sure about 15 other names for Kroger stores since they are one of the biggest chains around you may not know what Manager Specials are so I'll elaborate. Manager specials are items that are very close to their sell by date so the store marks them at half or better. I spent less than $5 for all the mushrooms in this soup and it was loaded with mushrooms. I even got the bread bowls on Manager Special. They were .79 cents each.

All the other vegetables, and this soup is loaded with them, came from the farmers market. I'm finding that our farmers market is cheap for some things (red, green and yellow peppers) and not so much for others (eggs). I've been getting these amazing Brandywine tomatoes. To.Die.For!

This soup made plenty for JR and I. We even have leftovers for when the weather gets really cold and I don't want to cook, and JR had lunch leftovers on Monday. So I'd have to put this at 5 or 6 servings. You could definitely get 6 if you aren't a pig like me.



Cream of mushroom and leek soup
 (all measurement are approximate. I can't seem to be held to exact ones. It's a character flaw I think).

1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup peppers, color makes no difference, I used green. Diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 small leeks, well washed, white and light green parts, chopped
20+ ounces mushrooms, any kind will do, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup white wine
1.5 quarts vegetable stock
1 pint heavy cream
Fresh thyme
1 tablespoon dried thyme 
salt and pepper to taste


Instructions

Cut green tops off the leeks, leaving the white and light green parts. Cut off the roots. Split white and light green part down the middle. Fill a deep bowl with water, soak leeks in the water while you chop the remainder of the veg. This is an important step. Leeks are notoriously filled with dirt between the leaves. Soaking loosens the grit up so you can rinse them under running water. There is not much nastier than biting down on grit. Slice these up.

In a large pot heat up two tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Not too hot, you are looking to sweat the veg not sauté them. Add the carrots and cook for about three minutes. Starting with the carrots is important because they take a little longer to cook than the rest of the veg. 

Next add the next five ingredients. Let these hang out until they soften. Low and slow is the name of the game here. I'm going to say that this will take about ten minutes or more. Stir it occasionally. 

Push all the veg to the side and add the rest of the olive oil. Raise the heat to medium high. When it heats up add the flour. Stir this up well than mix it into the veg. Add the wine. Let it cook down a bit, maybe three minutes or so. Stirring slowly add the stock. Turn up the heat to get the flour to thicken a little! Takes about three or four minutes. Turn down the heat to medium low or whatever it is on your stove that will achieve a simmer. 

Simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are tender but not mushy. Add cream, fresh and dried thyme, salt and pepper.

Nosh immediately.

You can make this vegan by scooping out about a cup or two and pureeing it then returning it to the soup and leaving out the cream. If you don't do whole wheat flour you can thicken it with other stuff or just make a thinner soup. Any way you make it it would all be amazing.

If like us your weather is getting cooler or like us (until recently) you live in a warm weather climate and pine for soup sometimes this soup will really fit the bill. The mushrooms gives the soup a meaty mouthful and the thyme gives it a nice earthy flavor.

Unless you hate mushrooms and really are there people who hate mushrooms? You have to try this soup. 

Stay groovy,

M