Smoky Wild Mushroom Soup

When I first introduced this soup to the fellows gathered ‘round the table that night, years back at the Coastal lodge, they fell silent. That’s when Todd looked up, gave that subtle shake of his head—you know the one he does when things are going particularly well, be it on the river or over a glass of scotch—and said, “This may be the best soup I’ve ever had, Hillerns. I’m gonna need that recipe.”

And so it goes.

By the time I finally met Todd’s much better half at camp on the Deschutes, Ang just said, “Oh, yeah. The. Soup.” That’s when I knew. If you like mushrooms even a little, you’ll love this one.

For me, this one works best from late fall through spring. Golden chanterelles pop up first, while the ultimate prize—the grand morel—shows herself in spring. But thanks to capitalism, if you’re a mushroom lover like me, excellent options prevail year-round. Hell, this tastes amazing with simple button mushrooms. Really. But you can do better. Let your imagination run wild. The deeper the mushroom, the deeper the experience. It’s magic on a long winter’s eve.

PREP TIME: 5 mins

COOK TIME: 30 mins or so

TOTAL TIME: 35 mins

SERVINGS: 4–6

Adapted from Platings and Pairings

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced (white, crimini and/or a mix of wild mushrooms like chanterelles or morels)

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 3 cups vegetable stock (chicken stock. Mushroom stock, or bone broth)

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 cup 2% milk

• ½ cup sour cream

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 2 tsp. dried dill)

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, until it bubbles just enough to get things going. Toss in the onions and mushrooms, stirring occasionally as they soften and the mushrooms release all their juices. Be patient; this’ll take about 10-15 minutes and will depend on the freshness and variety of mushrooms you’ve opted for.

Once the mushroom liquid has cooked off, sprinkle in the flour and paprika. Stir it together. It’ll be a bit dry and sort of pasty at this point but fear not, you’re richening things up for what will become the greatest velvety goodness.

Now, go ahead and slowly pour in the stock, soy sauce, and milk, and bring it all to a gentle boil before lowering the heat to simmer and thicken for about 10 minutes. When it’s ready, take the pan off the heat and stir in the sour cream, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a good handful of dill and parsley. Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper.

Damn, this is good. And like most things, even better on the second night.

This recipe is brought to us from our dear friend and fellow angler Eric Hillerns.  Eric is often a guest chef with us in the wild river canyons we fish.  If you’ve ever been on one of our trips with Eric as chef; guaranteed – you’ll be back!

If you have questions about preparations or requests for recipes, email Eric at: [email protected]