During midsummer, while picking blueberries in the forest, you might stumble upon some boletes, and if you’re lucky, you might even find some chanterelles. Though indeed, mushrooms can be found in Estonian forests during midsummer, the larger groups of mushrooms usually appear with the autumn-like rains in the second half of summer. Sometimes, you can fill your mushroom basket simply by driving attentively along forest roads.
The following creamy and delicious wild mushroom soup is not only fantastic but also quick and easy to prepare, even on a busy day alongside household chores. In addition to this mushroom puree soup, I recommend trying a delightful pumpkin soup, which has been a staple on our family’s table almost every week since autumn began.
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Which mushrooms to use in the soup
The simple answer is that all edible mushrooms are perfect for adding to the soup. In my opinion, it’s wisest to use boletes, for instance. These mushrooms taste fantastic in the puree soup, and since they are relatively substantial, you don’t need a lot of them for a single batch. You can also successfully preserve these mushrooms in jars and make mushroom soup in the middle of winter.
However, the most flavorful mushroom dishes I have prepared have been made from chanterelles – this mushroom truly elevates any dish, for example, this pasta recipe!
If it’s not mushroom-picking season and you don’t have any jarred mushrooms in the cellar, you can also make mushroom soup successfully using button mushrooms, which are available in stores year-round.
Ingredients
Butter – you can use butter in addition to cooking oil for browning the mushrooms. Fried butter adds an interesting flavor.
Cooking oil
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms – cheap and generally easily available button mushrooms work very well, but the best soup is undoubtedly made from wild mushrooms as they are more flavorful.
Bread – bread adds thickness to the soup so it’s not overly watery. I’ve used both whole grain and white wheat bread in the soup, and both work well, though I prefer white bread more.
Heavy cream – heavy cream adds a great taste and richness to the soup.
Water
How to make mushroom soup
- Chop the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. The pieces don’t need to be very small, as everything will be pureed later.
- Fry the chopped mushrooms, onion, garlic, and other desired seasonings (salt, pepper) until they become a nice golden brown. You can use butter in addition to cooking oil for sautéing, as it imparts a very nice additional flavor.
- When your kitchen is filled with delightful aromas and the mushrooms are nicely browned, add water, heavy cream and bread to the pot and heat until it reaches a boil. Whipping cream doesn’t like to boil too much, as it can become chunky. I confess – I’ve boiled whipping cream many times and ended up with chunky puree soup, but sometimes nothing happens at all – it all depends on heat, how long you boil the cream, and also on the amount of fat and water in the soup.
- Blend the entire mixture after the bread has softened in the soup within 5 minutes. You can use either an immersion blender or a regular blender. I’ve used both, but I prefer the immersion blender over the regular one.
Ideas and tips
- I recommend sautéing mushrooms, onions, and garlic right in the pot, so you don’t have to wash a separate pan afterward and it’s easier. However, it’s important to note that stainless steel pots and pans must be hot before adding food. Otherwise, the food might stick to the bottom. If you wish, you can sauté the mushrooms separately in a pan.
- During the autumn season, I suggest using wild mushrooms in the soup and not pureeing all of them. Instead, set aside some mushroom pieces and add them back to the soup later. I’m not particularly fond of button mushroom pieces, but chanterelle pieces are fantastic!
- Using bread in the soup is a great way to use up leftover bread crusts.
- If you want a less rich soup, you can use less whipping cream. For example, my husband doesn’t particularly like a rich puree soup.
Creamy mushroom soup
Creamy mushroom soup made from wild mushrooms is easily prepared even on a busy day alongside household chores.
Ingredients
- 50g of butter
- Cooking oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 onion
- 250g of mushrooms
- 100g of bread
- 200ml of heavy cream
- 800ml of water
Instructions
- Chop the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. The pieces don't need to be very small, as everything will be pureed later.
- Fry the chopped mushrooms, onion, garlic, and other desired seasonings (salt, pepper) until they become a nice golden brown. You can use butter in addition to cooking oil for sautéing, as it imparts a very nice additional flavor.
- When your kitchen is filled with delightful aromas and the mushrooms are nicely browned, add water, heavy cream, and bread to the pot and heat until it reaches a boil. Whipping cream doesn't like to boil too much, as it can become chunky. I confess - I've boiled whipping cream many times and ended up with chunky puree soup, but sometimes nothing happens at all – it all depends on heat, how long you boil the cream, and also on the amount of fat and water in the soup.
- Blend the entire mixture after the bread has softened in the soup within 5 minutes. You can use either an immersion blender or a regular blender. I've used both, but I prefer the immersion blender over the regular one.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 388Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 227mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 5g
