Muffy the Velvet Mushroom Soup & Friend - Longmeadow Farm |
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Prep Time: 11 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 41 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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The Valley below our town used to house a mushroom farm for many years. We would all assemble on a early Saturday morning and go quietly and cultivate these mushrooms. Mushrooms are sweet aren't they? I don't mean sweet as in sugary, I mean sweet as in adorable. No matter the mushroom, the size, the build, the color, they are plain cute. Which brings up the reason for the thoughtful little name of this homey soup. Muffy is the name we called mushrooms when we picked them. The little button Muffy is a succulent, just swell sorta mushroom. People just don't want to admit it, do they? During the cooling fall when leaves curl and fall, is the best time to pick these little delicacies....as well as using them in this homemade; but easy velvet soup. I do often have dried porcini's in the cupboard, sitting there silently waiting just to be used. I add thinly sliced chicken breast towards the end of cooking time if I am so inclined. Sometimes, I would rather just curl up next to Dennis on our couch, throw a big piece of wood in the woodstove and watch the fall progress with a sip of soup and Muffy The Mushroom . Ingredients:
1 ounce dried mushroom, dried (porcini or any mushroom) |
4 cups chicken stock |
1/4 cup unsalted butter |
1 yellow onion, finely chopped |
1 tablespoon garlic, minced |
1/8 teaspoon celery seed |
3/4 lb cremini mushroom, sliced (fresh, brushed clean, any fresh mushroom can be used) |
1/4 cup flour |
1 dash salt |
1 dash pepper |
2 teaspoons soy sauce |
1 dash tabasco sauce (optional) |
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (skinless, boneless, halved lengthwise, cut into thin strips) |
1 cup half-and-half |
italian parsley, finely chopped (for garnish) |
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, combine dried mushrooms in stock over medium-high heat simmering for 5 minutes.
2. In a larger pot, melt butter. Add onion, saute' for 5 minutes, medium heat.
3. Add fresh mushrooms, and cook 2 minutes more.
4. Add garlic and stir quickly, 20 seconds.
5. Sprinkle onion/mushroom/garlic mixture with flour, salt and pepper.
6. Stir this whole flour mixture until incorporated.
7. Add soy sauce, and (optional Tabasco sauce if using) to flour mixture.
8. Add the mushroom stock, and porcini mushrooms, to larger pot and simmer for 15 minutes until mushrooms are tender.
9. Remove pot from heat. Using a hand held blender, or blender, blend all ingredients together until puree' making sure to leave some course bits.
10. Combine chicken with mushroom puree' and heat for 10 minutes.
11. Stir in half and half and heat until warm.
12. Put directly into soup bowls add chopped parsley for garnish.
13. Get that spoon and slurp her up now, and take off your shoes and feel the moment.
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