Portobello Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 cups portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
• 5 large onions, caramelized (cooked low and slow until brown and sweet with a little olive oil and butter)
• 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1 or 2 Tbsp. sherry
• 1 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. cream

Step 1 – Before you start chopping up your mushrooms, you should have already finely diced your 5 onions and gotten them started caramelizing on the stove. It will take about 20 minutes, so do it first. Then you can clean your mushrooms. Use a mushroom brush, a damp paper towel, or defy convention and gently wash the damn things.

Step 2 -Chop the mushrooms into very small pieces. Get them as uniform in size as possible so they will all cook evenly. You’re going to add them to the giant skillet that has your caramelized onions in it. The onions should be most of the way done caramelizing before you add the mushrooms to the pan.

Step 3 -Saute the mushrooms with the onions until the mushrooms are tender.

Step 4 – Add the stock and cook the mixture down for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Make sure the cream cheese is very soft. I put it into a bowl by itself first and ladle in some of the hot soup, mixing the two together. I keep adding more soup to the cheese. until I have a couple of cups smoothly blended. Sometimes I will even put the mixture into the blender. Then, when I add that back to the pan, it helps thicken the soup. Add the sour cream the same way. This helps avoid lumps and white specks. Simmer 10 minutes. Add the sherry. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add the cream. Now you’re done!