Cold days are ahead of us and we need dishes that will comfort and warm us up. This soup is so awesome, it tastes like you got it from a fancy restaurant. Serve it with warm, chunky bread and maybe a side salad.
4 T. butter, divided
1 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
1 whole medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
3 T. flour
3/4 c. dry white wine or sherry
4 c. vegetable (or chicken stock)
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 t. balsamic vinegar
chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Heat 2 T. butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Once melted, add 1/3 of the mushrooms; cook until dark golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; remove from pot; set aside for soup topping later.
In the same pot, melt remaining butter. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, celery, thyme, garlic and remaining mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft, about 5 - 6 minutes.
Sprinkle vegetables with flour; stir to combine; season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly for 3 minutes, allowing flour to cook. Slowly add wine, stirring while adding. Allow to heat and bubble up for several minutes; slowly pour in stock, stirring to reduce lumps.
Bring to a simmer; cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let cool for 20 minutes.
Transfer to a blender (be sure it's cooled because blending hot soup is dangerous); puree until mushrooms are mostly broken up into small barley-sized bits. (TIP: If an immersion blender is used in the pot instead of the blender, the soup won't need to be cooled first.)
Transfer soup from the blender back to the pot; add cream; heat to a simmer. Add balsamic vinegar; season to taste.
Serve warm topped with reserved mushrooms and crusty chunks of warm bread.
8 servings.