Cream Of Mushroom Soup

1. 1

   Make cashew cream (if not using cream): Place the cashews and water in a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Yields about a cup.

2. 2

   Make the soup: Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in a cup of boiling hot water for 20-30 minutes. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter or a fine-meshed sieve and reserve the liquid as well as the re-hydrated mushrooms. Set aside. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot. Tie the herbs in a bundle with kitchen string or twine (something food-safe) and saute them in the hot oil until wilted. Add the onions, garlic, salt, and white pepper to the oil and saute until the onions are translucent. Turn the heat up to high and add the crimini and shitake mushrooms. Let this cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally as the liquid bubbles off. Add the chicken stock, porcini mushrooms, and the porcini liquid. Let the soup come to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the bundle of herbs. Stir the cream and butter into the soup. Using an immersion blender, puree the contents of the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can ladle the soup into a blender and puree the soup in small batches - but I recommend letting the soup cool quite a bit before doing so and not overfilling the blender because explosive accidents can (and do) happen, which is why I now own an immersion blender. Serves 6-8.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.