Comforting… Wild Cream of Mushroom Soup

    Add some warmth to this cold February and make a powerhouse mushroom soup—complex and well-rounded. Or, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, try something different and make this soup for your significant other.     
    Mushrooms are edible and delectable fungi that can keep you healthy throughout the year, especially in the winter. They are known to boost many vital components of your immune system and prime your immune cells to be more responsive to future attacks, inflammation and infections.  
    Unfortunately, mushrooms have a bad rap because of what they look like and most people tend to overlook them, when in fact, they are flavorful and offer endless culinary possibilities. Smooth, luxurious and earthy, when cooked, this overlooked fungi tantalizes the taste buds with something called, Umami. Umami is the fifth element of taste after sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Not only does it cater to your taste buds, it’s loaded with vitamin D, full of beta-glucans (a fiber beneficial for blood sugar and cholesterol management) and has strong anti-cancer effects. The best benefit of all? It contains ZERO calories! 
    No need to worry about ruining your New Year’s resolution. If you’re trying to stick with your 2020 vision, adjust the recipe accordingly and experiment with substitutes. Want to cut the butter? Use fat free ½ and ½ or fat free broth. Voila! Boost your senses and your health. 
    If my best friend Frank was still with us, he would try to find the rare European white truffle – the world’s most expensive mushroom (priced at $3,600 per pound!). (If I have, I’ll add a few drops of white truffle oil to this recipe.) He’d also say, “Ok, Nip cut the Bull and Lets Eat! Bon Appétit!” Xoxo Denise

Ingredients
5-6 cups a variety of dried and fresh mushrooms (dried mushroom variety should sit in a bowl with boiling water for 30 minutes to soften)
2  potatoes, peeled, diced
½ cup half & half
½ cup of Sherry (for: sweet) or Vermouth (for: dry)
1 T Soy sauce
2 T Butter
2 T Extra virgin olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, diced
2 T plus 1 T fresh thyme, fresh parsley, and fresh chives for garnish
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup flour
Splash of white wine
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste
A few drops of white truffle oil (optional)

Boil potatoes and drain. Also, prepare mushrooms.
Melt butter with olive oil in pan. Add salt, pepper, potatoes and mushrooms; cook for a few minutes. 
Add broth, soy sauce and fresh herbs; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes. 
Stir in flour and mix, then deglaze pan with alcohol. Remove from heat and blend 1 ½ cups in blender (or food processor). 
Add back into pot and add half & half. 
Garnish with buttery croutons, parsley, thyme, chives and pepper. Enjoy!