The highest form of “cream of” soup starts out with cooked, pureed vegetables and pure, fresh cream. The second-best incarnation of that same soup winds up being pastier, with cornstarch as a thickener and the fresh cream replaced with cheaper fats, like vegetable oils. There’s one more way to make cream soup, though—a way in which you get the freshest, purest, least diluted taste of the vegetables. There’s no cream in this recipe—and no cornstarch, either. You still get a great creamy texture by using a lot of mushrooms and chicken broth. The key is to not let the mushroom liquor (the juice expressed by the mushrooms as they cook) evaporate, and to use a good blender to create a luxurious puree.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat a large saucepan over high heat. When the pot is hot, spray it with cooking spray. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Sauté until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid and are starting to become tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken broth and evaporated skim milk. Cover, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the mushrooms are completely tender, about 8 minutes.
Step 3
Working in two batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot to reheat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
nutrition information
Step 4
Fat: 46g (before), 0.8g (after)
Step 5
Calories: 875 (before), 106 (after)
Step 6
Protein: 11g
Step 7
Carbohydrates: 16g
Step 8
Cholesterol: 5mg
Step 9
Fiber: 1g
Step 10
Sodium: 534mg
