The flu and winter colds are currently making their way around Seattle with a vengeance. We have been washing hands and spraying sanitizer like mad trying to keep it out of our home, but to no avail. Our family spent the weekend, laying low, quarantined due to snotty noses and fevers. I thought today would be the day to get out for an adventure, but unfortunately the symptoms persist. I am a firm believer in keeping germs to ourselves when possible, so, in order to assuage my own bout with stir craziness I started looking around for a cooking project to stimulate the senses.
I love soup. It is one of the things I really enjoy cooking (and eating). There is something so soul satisfying about eating a bowl of homemade soup. While sick kiddos napped today, I tried a new recipe. I had been thinking about the Portobella Mushroom Soup served at Palomino Restaurant and how the mushroom soups I have tried to make in the past just did not live up to it. So, being the resourceful gal that I am, I googled “palomino portobello mushroom soup”, just to see if someone else had imagined recreating this deliciousness. Ha! The first thing on the list is a recipe on epicurious.com, receiving 3.5/4 stars. I may not be very creative with this idea, but I am also not the only one fantasizing about this yummy soup! The one annoyance with this particular recipe is that it looks to be scaled down from the large restaurant recipe with a few errors. The below recipe is adapted and inspired by both Palomino and epicurious.
Portobello Mushroom Soup
2/3 cup unsalted butter
2 medium leeks (white and green) cross sliced at 1/4″
1 large yellow onion, diced
8 oz portabello mushrooms, chopped
12 oz crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup all- purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock, plus 2 cups water
2 oz. dry sherry
8 oz cream
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. kosher salt
Melt 1/3 of the butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add leaks and onions. Saute until tender. Add mushrooms and saute for five minutes. In a second pot, melt remaining butter. Add flour and cook roux for five minutes. Slowly add in chicken stock and whisk until incorporated. Add water, whisk until incorporated. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to keep roux from sticking to bottom of pot. Add cream, cayenne pepper and salt to mushroom and leek mixture. Stir in sherry. Strain the thickened chicken stock mixture into the mushroom and leek mixture. Let soup slowly simmer for an additional 15 minutes or until all ingredients are completely incorporated. Adjust consistency by adding more water or a touch more cream as necessary. (I blended a portion of the soup in order to achieve a little smoother texture.) Garnish soup with a swirl of port wine.
I am very happy with how this recipe turned out. The ingredients of sherry and cayenne pepper add a kick and help capture the depth and complexity of the Palomino version. I will definitely be making this recipe again. This soup may not exactly be low in fat, but it is made with real ingredients and when paired with a simple green salad makes for a lovely and satisfying winter dinner.
We will be enjoying it tonight!
Author note: I am the first to say this is not the most beautiful soup to look at, but I guarantee that it is delicious!
Poole Party of 5 