This recipe by far is the best cream of mushroom soup I’ve ever had.  It is not my recipe, it’s actually Ina Garten from the Food Network’s recipe.  She is one of my favorite chef’s on the Food Network.  Follow this recipe exactly and you’ll wow your friends and family.  It pairs well with some lightly toasted sour dough bread.  Please comment back and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
(or just get the best variety you can find at the local super market)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 carrot, chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don’t wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

1 Medium to large onion (yellow or white), diced very fine
4-6 Cloves of garlic, minced fine
1 Green pepper, small dice
1 Poblano pepper, small dice
1 Serrano pepper, small dice
1 Jalapeno pepper, small dice
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1-teaspoon cumin
½ to 1-teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 large cans of fire roasted tomatoes, whole (if you can find fire roasted get regular, not seasoned canned tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce or juice
Juice of 1 lime
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound of ground turkey

Don’t be afraid to use a food processor/ mini chopper for the onions, garlic and peppers.

So this chili is all about texture. Start this off like any normal chili, on medium to high heat throw the ground turkey into a large enough pot. You must stir the meat constantly. You want the meat to be all broken up. Gradually stir in the fresh garlic, onions, all the peppers, the chili powder, onion and garlic powder, the cumin, salt and pepper, cilantro and the limejuice. Cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add 1 cup of chicken stock/broth. You want the texture of the tomatoes to be sort of torn up, so what I do is squish them into the pot with my hands. Do that, then cook for about 5 minutes covered, then add the other cup of the chicken stock/broth. Cook for another 5 minutes, and then add the tomato sauce/ juice. Finally, put in the beans; turn down to a simmer and let cook for at least 1 hour. You may need to add more salt or heat (you can add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce). Do this to taste, then finally…. ENJOY with some crusty bread, or a tamale, or my favorite, elbow macaroni! A sharp cheddar pairs well as far as a choice of cheese! Never put sour cream on this chili.