Soup: The Best Mushroom Soup ever!
In my life I have been extremely fortunate to be surrounded personally and professionally by some highly skilled people in the kitchen. My mother-in-law, Anna, certainly fits that category. She immigrated from Poland during the 1960’s and has proceeded to live a beautiful life here in the Midwest. Anna makes so many tasty dishes that it is hard to pick one, but the very first thing she ever served me was her mushroom soup. This is what she chose to make on the night I met my wife’s parents. Needless to say, it was so good, I ate two bowls! She uses dried mushrooms to fortify her stock and give it that extra flavor.
Ingredients:
1 lb of dried Porcini mushrooms
2 qts sliced fresh white button mushrooms
1 qt sliced fresh baby Portobella mushrooms
4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of instant barley
1 qt of sour cream
6 tablespoons of Vegeta Polish seasoning
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Umami sauce
1 cup roux or 1/2 cup of corn starch
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1 cup of white wine
Salt
Pepper
Preparation: (Prep time 1.5-2 hours and cook time 3-4 hours)
In large soup pot, add dried mushrooms and 8 cups of water or until mushrooms are covered.
add water to pot for soaking dried mushrooms
Stir the mushrooms as to cover them with water. Check the mushrooms every hour or so to make sure they are covered in water. If not, give them a stir. You can let the mushrooms sit anywhere from 6 hours to overnight.
Add dried mushrooms to pot with water
After the mushrooms are added to the water, stir them to make sure they all are covered. Evey hour or so, stir them to make sure they are hydrating properly.
After 4 to 6 hours of soaking, the mushrooms have reconstituted and will be pliable. Remove them from liquid and place in strainer over bowl to catch any extra juice.
After the soaking period is finished, remove the mushrooms into a strainer over a bowl to catch any extra liquid.
Add the white wine to the liquid to help tenderize the chicken and add flavor to the soup.
Adding white wine to the liquid
Add in Worcestershire sauce
After all of the mushrooms are removed, add Worcestershire sauce.
Add Umami sauce. Adding the umami sauce just adds depth of flavor to this soup. This soup naturally has lots of layers to it, but this gives that little something extra.
Adding Umami sauce to the liquid
Turn on burner to begin to heat liquid to rolling boil. Cover the pot to help with heating the liquid.
Covering and checking the liquid temperature
Add chicken and let cook for 16-18 minutes.
Add the whole chicken breast one by one. We cook them whole in order to keep them moist and make cubing them easier.
Remove chicken and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
After the chicken cooks for up to 18 minutes, remove and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
Add reconstituted mushrooms back to the liquid
Add the reconstituted mushrooms back to the liquid and any of the leftover liquid in the bowl.
Add fresh white button mushrooms
Add the sliced button mushrooms
Add fresh baby bella mushrooms
Add baby Portobella mushrooms
Add Vegeta “Polish Seasoning”
Add Vegeta Polish Seasoning
Slice chicken into medallions
Slice chicken into 1/2-inch medallions
Slice medallions in cubes
Slice the medalions into 1/2 inch cubes
Add sliced chicken back to liquid and mushroom mixture
Add cubed chicken back to the liquid
Add barley to mixture, let it cook for 20 minutes
Add barley to the mixture and bring to a boil
Reduce heat and add sour cream
Reduce the heat, and add the sour cream
Bring mixture back up to a boil and add the roux, add roux until desired thickness
Once the sour cream is totally combined, spoon in your roux (pictured) or pour in your corn starch slurry
Whisk the soup to incorporate and cook the roux
Whisk the soup after either thickener in order to combine thoroughly and make the soup smooth
Finish the soup with nutmeg
After thickening the soup, add nutmeg to balance the flavors
Bon Appetit!
Enjoy with a piece of bread or glass of wine, Bon Appetit!