Mushroom Soup

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

I have written a monthly recipe column for Beyond Celiac for 9, yes nine, years this January 2020.  Proven, tested recipes by me, cooked many times over the years. Happy to be starting the 10th year with my good, tasty, gluten-free (and dairy-free if possible) recipes and advice as someone who lives this life on a daily basis. 

This mushroom soup is another of the soups I make for my Lithuanian cooking demos. This is very mild and creamy due to the higher quantity of milk. Fat-free milk doesn’t have the same amount of flavor. This recipe says to use fresh leeks which are quite expensive year-round in New Hampshire, $3/lb and you lose a lot to the root and the coarse outer green skin, so I use 1 lb of regular onions. I have tried it with sweet onions and they are too mild. The original recipe included a pinch of cayenne pepper, but we didn’t like the taste and thought it overpowered the gentle flavor of the soup. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound onions, peeled and finely chopped 
• 2 tbsp oil or butter
• 3 c milk
• 1 c gluten-free chicken stock 
• 12 oz mushrooms, regular white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp gluten-free cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
• ¼ c chopped fresh parsley 
• handful of parsley stalks made into bouquet garni – put in a silicon herb container or in a 1 x 4 coffee filter tied shut
• 1-2 tbsp sherry
• Salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. I cook the onions and oil together in a 4 c Pyrex jug in the microwave for 5-7 minutes, stopping and stirring, until the onions are extremely soft, almost melting. This sweetens the onions, adds flavor to the soup, and they don’t burn in the microwave.
2. Transfer the onions to an 8 c pan, add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until mushrooms are starting to shrink and release juices.
3. Add milk, stock, salt and pepper to taste and the parsley bouquet garni.
4. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook covered for about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in cornstarch and water mix and the sherry.
6. Cook for a few minutes until soup thickens slightly. Add more cornstarch if you like a thicker soup.
7. Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley.

You can also serve with shredded cheddar, some cubes of ham or sausage.