Foraging our homestead and turning the food into delicious meals is a true delight. This recipe brings the forest to the table. Homestead Mushroom Soup is a celebration of nature's treasures, featuring morels and chanterelles handpicked from our land.
Recipe Video Here!
On our homestead, foraging for edible mushrooms has quickly become a fun adventure. This spring, I ventured into our woods to uncover these elusive treasures. To ensure that I could enjoy them throughout the year, I've perfected the art of drying them. I've created a few jars of dried morels and chanterelles, ready to infuse amazing warmth and umami into my meals during the chill of winter.
With its diverse ecosystems, West Virginia offers a rich habitat for a variety of wild mushrooms, including morels, chanterelles, lion's mane, chicken of the woods, and oyster mushrooms. From spring's morel hunts to summer's golden chanterelles and the earthy delights of fall, mushroom hunting in West Virginia is a connection to the wild, a celebration of local flavors, and an homage to the state's natural beauty.
If you don't have the ability to forage for your own mushrooms, you can usually find them dried at natural food stores such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, and MOM's year round. This recipe can be made without the wild mushrooms altogether and will still make you a delicious, creamy, mushroom soup.
Homestead Mushroom Soup Recipe
Serves 4 in 45 minutes!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried morels and chanterelles, rehydrated, and sliced
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced (16 oz if using only bellas)
1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine (I always use sauvignon blanc)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large or two small shallots, diced
2 tablespoon butter or oil
4 cups beef stock
4 tablespoons corn starch
4 tablespoons cold water
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
In a large pot, sauté the shallot in butter, on low heat, until the onion is soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Add the garlic, thyme, baby bellas, and morel mushrooms to the pot, sautéing until the mushrooms release their natural water and get just a touch of brown around the edges. Don't cook for too long or they'll shrivel down to nothing, about 5-6 minutes.
Deglaze with sherry or white wine, reduce 2 minutes.
Add the beef stock and bay leaves to the pot, bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer, simmer for 20 minutes
Remove the bay leaf and then transfer 75% of the soup to a blender and blend well.
Return blended soup to the pot, stir in the heavy cream and simmer on very low for 5 minutes.
Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper to your taste.
When you're ready to serve, add a corn starch slurry; mix corn starch and cold water well, whisk as you pour the slurry into the soup. The soup will thicken quickly, then take it off the heat.
When you're ready to serve, garnish each bowl with fresh chives and a few pieces of sautéed mushrooms.
Homestead Mushroom Soup is a testament to the flavors of the land we call home. The morels and chanterelles, lovingly foraged from our homestead, create a culinary masterpiece when combined with baby bella mushrooms and aromatics. The thyme and bay leaves transport you to the heart of the forest. The heavy cream ensures a creamy, velvety texture that makes each spoonful a delightful experience.
This soup isn't just a recipe; it's a journey from nature to table, an ode to the land we cherish. It's a reminder that the best ingredients are often found right outside your doorstep!
If you give this soup a try I'd love to know how it worked out for you! You can tag me in posts and stories or DM me on Instagram and TikTok @LizaHomesteads!
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