Cream of “wild” mushroom soup embraces the increasing availability of cultivated wild mushrooms to create a silky soup with bags of flavour.
This soup takes around 45 minutes to make and is great for making in advance, it will sit in the fridge for a couple of days.
Creamy Mushroom Soup
I love mushrooms and cook with them all of the time, they appear in eveythign from my very British fry up to my take on an Italian mushroom ravioli and an Indian inspired mushroom biryani to a Chinese chicken and mushroom fakeaway stir fry.
My take on a cream of “wild” mushroom soup dates back to my time living in Hungary… a place that had a “mushroom ID office” in the local market hall.
Seriously, you could just pick mushrooms, stick em in a bag and rock up on market day and they will tell you what they are and whether they are good to eat.
It has had a recent update to reflect commercially available wild mushrooms in the UK.
It’s a gloriously simple dish to make and it is packed to the gunnels with flavour. Flavour that gets turned all the way up to 11 thanks to the addition of some delicious Watkins mushroom ketchup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use wild mushrooms?
No this dish works just as well with regular mushrooms, however the flavour will not be as “complex”.
You can introduce more flavour with dried mushrooms if you want to save a few quid.
Soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes whilst you are preparing the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to use the soaking liquid, but strain it to remove any grit.
What sort of wild mushrooms do you use?
Commercially produced mushrooms tend to come in 250g packs and contain a mix of mushrooms.
Shiitake are common and they have a deep unami (savoury) almost meat flavour. Oyester mushrooms are also common, they have a subtle flaovur but add a silkiness and almost a sweetness to the soup.
Shimeji mushrooms are also common either in brown or white and they have an almost nutty flavour. They also look beautiful as part of the garnish.
The final type of mushroom that commonly appears are king oyster mushrooms, like shiitake they have a deep unami flavour and provide a boost to the overall flavour of the soup.
What is mushroom ketchup?
Mushroom ketchup is a British condiment amde by Watkins that dates back to the early 19th century.
It’s not like tomato ketchup, don’t worry! It has much more in common with Worcestershire sauce or Hendersons relish (both of which make decent substitutions).
Don’t worry about having another bottle lurking in the cupboard, I use it quite often. It features in recipes like my spinach and mushroom risotto, mushroom hotpot and creamy mushrooms on toast.
Serving Suggestions
A bowl of soup needs nothing more than some nice bread as an accompaniment as far as I am concerned and this cream of wild msuhroom soup is no different.
If I ma baking bread at home then I would likely rustle up a quick soda bread. Mainly because it is by far the easiest bread to make at home and it tastes superb!
If you don’t want to trouble yourself with baking bread from scratch, a nice wedge of store bought ciabatta or a finger or two of ciabatta works well too.
Finally, you could rustle up some garlic bread from a baguette without too much trouble and it works wonderfully.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
- 20cm or 8″ fryign pan, only needed if you are adding the sautéed mushroom garnish.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Blender.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Fine mesh sieve (Optional).
- A combination of weighing scales, a measruing jug and or measurnig cups and spoons.
Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup Recipe
Cream of Mushroom soup is a long-standing classic, this version adds commercially cultivated wild mushrooms in to the mix to turn the flavour up to 11, a splash of British mushroom ketchup amps up that flavour even more.
Ingredients
- 1 Medium (150g) Onion
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 35g (2 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Butter
- 250g (9oz) Mixed Wild Mushrooms
- 400g (14oz) Button Mushrooms
- 3 Tbsp Mushroom Ketchup
- 250ml (1 Cup) Vegetable Stock
- 175ml (¾ Cup) Double Cream
- Salt (To Taste)
- ⅛ Tsp White Pepper
- 30g (1 Cup) Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Cut the onion into a 5mm (¼") dice.
- Peel the garlic cloves and give them a gentle crush the the heel of your hand.
- Heat the butter in a 20cm (8") saucepan and when it has melted add the thyme, onions and garlic cloves and sweat down gently over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Pick out some nice mushrooms from the mixed mushroom mix and set them aside to be sautéed as a garnish (This is optional). Then roughly chop the remaining mushrooms.
- Roughly chop the button mushrooms.
- Turn the heat under the onions to high and add the chopped mushrooms to the softened onions and garlic and cook them for 15 minutes or until they have cooked down and are nice and softened but all of the liquid that has formed has evaporated. You will notice the tone change when the water has evaporated and the mushrooms will begin to fry.
- Pour in the mushroom ketchup and stir until it has all been sucked up by the mushrooms.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the thyme, then transfer to a blender and blitz until very smooth. You can pass this through a fine mesh sieve back into the pan to make it even smoother.
- Pour in the cream and gently reaheat the soup, have a taste and add salt if required, then stir through the white pepper. If the soup is a little thick you can let it down with a litle milk.
- Finely chop the parsley.
- Heat a small 20cm or 8" frying pan over a high heat and add the olive oil, then saute the reserved mushrooms for a couple of minutes.
- Just before you serve the soup stir through the parsley and top with the sautéed mushrooms.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 648Total Fat: 54gSaturated Fat: 31gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 583mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 10gSugar: 16gProtein: 12g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Paul
Friday 16th of October 2020
Not all frozen vegetables are equal – mushrooms, for example, don’t always take kindly to defrosting. This Krumpli recipe for wild mushroom soup, however, boasts “no need for stock, no need for defrosting and no need for faff” – and is more aesthetically pleasing than most mushroom soups manage to be. Brian. You got a mention in the guardian app on Wednesday. Cokumn by Leah Harper.
Brian Jones
Saturday 31st of October 2020
Thanks Paul, I saw that... Sorry, it took so long to reply, I've been super busy :)
Meymi-Pastry and Beyond
Thursday 1st of February 2018
Looks so yummy! I love creamy mushroom soup. I should try with tarragon!
Brian Jones
Thursday 1st of February 2018
Definitely the flavour works really so well with mushrooms.
Katie | HealthySeasonalRecipes
Tuesday 19th of December 2017
I've never tried freezing mushrooms before. That's good to know it's possible, and good call to make soup with them!
Brian Jones
Wednesday 20th of December 2017
Flash frozen mushrooms work a treat.
Veena Azmanov
Tuesday 19th of December 2017
Nothings beats a hot bowl of soup in this weather. I love the addition of tarragon in this soup. It think tarragon and mushrooms go so well together. Saving for later.
Brian Jones
Wednesday 20th of December 2017
Thanks Veena the slight aniseed flavour of taragon works so well with mushrooms for me.
Ayngelina
Tuesday 19th of December 2017
I love mushroom soup, over the holidays I'm batch cooking soups for January and this one will be on my list.
Brian Jones
Wednesday 20th of December 2017
Thank you... Enjoy :)