mushroom base and soup

Real mushrooms, real mushroom flavor.

mushroom base

2014-06-10 a.o.

Mushrooms are used in many recipes and it's always useful to have some on hand without having to cook mushrooms first. Mushroom base can be used as an ingredient for a multitude of vegetable recipes, soups and sauces.

Here in the Deming, a NM food desert, it's just about impossible to get white button mushrooms. By the time they arrive at the store, they are usually already severely bruised and brown in those bruises. I considered myself so lucky when I found some mostly white ones that I bought 10 lbs. of them to make this mushroom base.

Even when made with lesser-quality mushrooms, this is a lot better than canned cream of mushroom soup.
Plain mushroom base looks dirty-brown. Compared to the bright white of canned cream of mushroom, some might feel that doesn't look very appetizing. Regardless what kind of mushrooms are used, cooking will turn even the whitest mushrooms brown. Simmering or braising mushrooms at lower temperatures leaves them a lighter color than sautéing or pan-frying. Adding cream will lighten the color.  

Stock up while the fresh mushrooms are on sale, it will make it worth your while. It doesn’t take that much more time to prepare 10 pounds than just the one, so go ahead. Mushroom base freezes well for later use, both for soups and sauces.

UPDATE:
Since I started doing this, I discovered that blending the mushrooms before cooking them greatly enhances the mushroom flavor compared to when cooked first.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 6 quarts:

  • 10 lb. white button mushrooms
  • S&P
Pic1: pureed mushroom base

Directions

These creamed ( = pureed) mushrooms is the base that you can use as starter for many mushroom recipes.

 

 

 

storage

Pic5: strain = mushroom liquor, very good for soups and sauces
Pic6: ready for storage
Pic7: partially blended

 

Pic8: fully blended
Pic9: for the freezer
Pic10: pickled mushrooms

 


mushroom soup

Any soup that has mushrooms as a main ingredient can be called mushroom soup.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 4 servings:

  • 1 lb. button mushrooms, cleaned, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped fine
  • 1 tbsp. each butter and olive oil
  • S&P
  • Optional:
    • 1 onion, chopped fine
    • 1 cup heavy cream
Pic1: mushrooms darken when cooked

Directions

2016-04-07

Pic2: champignons de Paris
Pic3: sliced
Pic4: stewed

 

Pic2: cream turns it white
Pic3: ready for the freezer
Mushroom base for freezing: