Mushroom Bisque

 Yes, you basically take these two ingredients and make the most marvellous soup.  It only takes a few minutes of prep time and can be ready to eat in under 40 minutes.
 It's soup, so I don't actually have a recipe but Paul did the stirring so I could keep track of the ingredients.  It's called a bisque because it's creamy.  But it is creamy without adding cream – and actually healthy.
   In retrospect, Paul thought I should have used a variety of dried mushrooms.  The problem with that is that I didn't have time to wait 30 minutes while the dried mushrooms re-hydrated in boiling water.  If you do have the time, I'll bet it tastes great.

   I buy the sliced pound-and-a-half mushrooms at Costco. With a couple of additional ingredients, you're good to go.   When I slice the onions, I like them to be rings in my soup.  But you can see by the photo that you can chop them or sliver them - whatever is fastest or you like best.  I'm pretty sure it's Laura who prefers her onions chopped.

  Thyme is an appropriate herb to add to mushrooms.  You can used dried or fresh. I know we started with 1/2 a tsp, but it's possible Paul added more.  He does love to shake and stir. Don't be afraid to stick a clean soup in the pot and taste it - then adjust your flavours.
   These days, I'm using something called Better Than Bouillon in place of cubes. It's very salty, so if you are going to use it, start with 1/2 tsp, taste it and add a little at a time - but no more than a teaspoon total.
  And because it's soup, the possibilities for variation are endless. Another time I made this soup, I diced some carrot and celery.  You can't go wrong adding carrot and celery to a soup.  Add it in if you have it.
  Soup is easy.  Soup is good.  Turn on some jazz, improvise and have fun.
Mushroom Bisque
2 - 3 large onions (don't skimp)
a glug of olive oil
1.5 lb / 680 g mushrooms (approximately)
1 bouillon cube 
2 tsp crushed garlic
thyme (start with 1/2 tsp, taste and add more if desired)
a few twists of freshly ground pepper
1/2  to 1 tsp paprika (because Paul puts paprika in everything)
1 cup liquid (leftover tea, white wine, water)
1 litre chicken stock
optional: 2 carrots and one stalk of celery, diced


Chop the onions and put in a large soup pot with olive oil. 

(Add carrots and celery at this point, if using.)

Start at high heat until things start to sizzle
then turn heat down to medium and cook until semi-transparent.
Stir frequently. 

Add the chopped mushrooms and continue stirring often for about 5 minutes.

Looking good!

Add liquid and spices and garlic.

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat. Cover.  Simmer for 20 minutes.

With a ladle, remove about half the soup and puree in blender or food processor.

Stir in milk to the processed portion.

Dump it back into the soup and heat over medium heat, stirring, until hot.

I like to add something to mushroom soup, so I cook tortellini separately and add it to the bowl of soup and then sprinkle freshly grated parmesan/romano/asiago cheese on top.

Another tasty option, which we had at Veselka restaurant in New York, is to add COOKED barley to the pot of soup 5 minutes before serving and heat through. (I'll post the barley recipe next!)

Smachnoho!