Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I helped with a fundraiser at work by doing what I love best... Yep, you guessed it, cooking. I was asked to make one or two soups for a soup lunch fundraiser. I thought about doing the traditional boring chicken noodle or something, which people are guaranteed to like (because they are so good and comforting) but I just can't do anything boring, I would totally loose my reputation. So I decided to do a Hungarian mushroom soup. I kind of figured it would be taking a risk, since it seems that so many people don't like mushrooms. Well, I was wrong, this one went the fastest of all three soup choices. I guess the people who don't like mushrooms talk about it a lot louder than those who do. I totally underestimated the mushroom lovers. This soup is a little different than traditional cream of mushroom with the additions of dill, paprika and some sour cream to finish it off. If you like Beef Stroganoff, you'll love this soup.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms (variety or white button) 1 stick of unsalted butter 2 onions, roughly chopped (white, yellow, or red) kosher salt and black pepper 6 tablespoons flour 3 cups water 2 cups broth (chicken or beef) 2 cups milk (whole milk, or 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 3 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves pulled off the stem) 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce 2 teaspoons smoked paprika Kosher Salt and Black Pepper 2/3 cup sour cream 1/4 cup fresh italian parsley 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2-3 dashes of Tabasco hot sauce

Directions:

Whipe your mushrooms down with a damp paper towel to remove and dirt and slice them in tick 1/2" slices, for this batch I chose a combination of Button and Cremini mushrooms, but any variety would be delicious. Coarsely chop the onions and mushrooms.

To a large pot, add the butter, onions, and mushrooms. Heat over medium heat and stir gently to mix.

Continue cooking and stirring until the mushrooms and onions have cooked down and are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir continuously for a minute or two. This helps to cook out some of the raw flour taste and will be the thickener for the soup.

Add in the water, chicken broth, milk, dill and thyme, soy sauce, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You will need to temper (or gently raise the temperature) of your sour cream before adding it to the soup. To do this, put the sour cream in a bowl and add 1/2 cup of the hot soup into the bowl. Whisk together, then add to the bowl the chopped parsley and lemon juice. Mix this all together then add it into the soup pot.

Allow your soup to heat through for another 5 minutes, and finish off with a couple of dashes of tobasco sauce (to taste of course).

EmJoy!