Savory Sausage & Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
Porcini mushrooms (dried – I used Lucinda’s) reconstituted in water for 1 hour, then rough chop
Cremini mushrooms (a dozen roughly) - rough chop
Portobello mushrooms (2 large caps) - rough chop
Sausage (I used 1 package Sage and 1 package regular breakfast sausage)
Fresh sage – 2 sprigs, roughly 8 leaves - rough chop
Fresh thyme – 5-7 sprigs – rough chop
Shallots (3) – chop
Sweet yellow onion
Butter- 6 tablespoons
EVOO- a drizzle
Salt and pepper- to taste
Nutmeg- just a sprinkle
Sherry cooking wine- 1/4 cup
Marsala cooking wine- 1/4 cup
Worcestershire Sauce- 4 tsp
Arrowroot- 4 tsp (depending on how thick you want it)
Beef stock- 3 cups
Chicken stock- 3 cups
Organic heavy whipping cream- 1/2 cup (optional)
Method:
· In a Dutch oven or large soup pot melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add your chopped shallot and onion – sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let that cook while you are chopping your mushrooms – don’t let your onion/shallot mixture brown.
· Add your sausage, and drizzle it with a bit of EVOO. Cook that awhile till your sausage is browned, take your time and separate the sausage into smaller chunks, or not, you can leave them big – whatever floats your boat.
· Add your mushrooms. This will appear to be the largest amount of mushrooms the world has ever seen – it is not. They will cook down, your soup needs them. Drizzle this mixture with another bit of EVOO. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
· When your mushrooms have cooked down, add your Sherry and Marsala cooking wine, as well as your Worcheshire sauce. Let it cook a minute or so… add your Arrowroot. Incorporate the Arrowroot throughout the mixture – you will notice that it becomes thicker – this is good.
· Add your stock. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, add the heavy whipping cream, mixing it throughout the soup. Right before you serve it, add your last 2 tablespoons of butter. Lightly stir to incorporate it throughout….
· Taste it… Does it need more salt? Pepper? Perhaps another dash of Marsala or Worcheshire? Go with your gut, and add what you need to it… then… serve. Savor. Enjoy.