Cream of Morel Soup

I made this soup from the dehydrated morels that Richard and I picked fresh last spring. This recipe is from my book Wild in the Kitchen. It's a perfect warm-you-up soup after a day of being out in the snow.



Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 oz. dried wild mushrooms (morels, hen of the woods, chanterelles, etc.)(about 6 oz. reconstituted) in 3½-4 cups boiling water, for 20-30 minutes
4 tablespoons milk
grated nutmeg (to taste)
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
¼-½ cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons butter with the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the reconstituted wild mushrooms (chopped) and sauté for 5 more minutes. (Reserve the broth for later.) Add nutmeg and milk, cook for a few more minutes and set aside.

In another saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Remove pan from heat and beat in the flour. Return pan to low heat and cook until mixture turns a darker color. Then remove pan again from heat and add mushroom broth gradually, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Return to low heat. (If necessary, to get rid of lumps, run the mixture through a sieve, scraping the underside of it to get all the flour mixture.) Then add the cooked mushroom mixture to the broth mixture. Bring soup to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Then add milk to desired thickness (¼-½ cup). Heat through and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4.