Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I had a request for recipes for the mushrooms that I have been harvesting from the forest. Reminder, picking wild mushrooms should only be done with experience and err on the side of caution if any mushroom cannot be 100 % verified as non-poisonous.

My own version of this soup is made with fresh picked Chanterelle mushrooms but any mushroom will do, white button mushrooms sold in stores work well with this recipe.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

12 oz. chopped mushrooms (this amount can be doubled)

2 cups chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped celery (optional)

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper (optional)

2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil

3 Tablespoons of Flour

1 cup milk

1 Tablespoon Hungarian paprika (I prefer smoked paprika)

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

pepper to taste

1/2 cup sour cream

Saute onions, celery and pepper in butter or olive oil until onions are opaque or slightly browned add to chicken stock. Re-use saute pan to give the mushrooms a quick sear, just enough for them to release their moisture (you do not need to add any oil or liquid), I like to add mushrooms and their moisture in the soup but some like to drain at this point and add to stock. Heat through, I prefer to use a crock pot, low setting for 3 hours.

Whisk together soy sauce, paprika, milk and flour and stir into crock pot mixture. High setting for 1-2 hours for the flour to thicken soup, then back to low setting until ready to eat.

Just before serving stir in sour cream, or a dollop can be placed in each bowl at serving time.

Times are flexible with this recipe and can be done on the stove top in about 1 hour.