WILD MUSHROOM SOUP
I was going to title this recipe “Sheep’s Head Soup” because we use sheepshead mushrooms, but I was afraid no one would read it, let alone try it. But this is basically a cream-of-mushroom style recipe using wild sheepshead. Also known as hen-of-the-woods, these are in my opinion the next best tasting wild mushroom next to the king of spring, morel. They have a little bit stronger taste than the morel, but they are excellent in soup, pan-fried in butter, or batter and deep fried. This recipe can be tried using onions instead of shallots, which gives it a little more of a “garlicy” twang. You can also keep it simple and serve without the toast and cheese. Sheepshead start popping after Labor Day and can be found through mid to late October. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 2 Wild Sheeps Head mushrooms
- 2 Cup Chicken broth
- 2 Shallots
- 3 Tablespoon Melted butter
- 3 Tablespoon Flour
- 1.5 Cup Milk
- Half Cup Heavy Cream
- Pinch Salt & pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 4 Slices of white bread
- 1 Cup Shredded cheddar cheese
Cooking instructions:
- Pull the mushroom apart into stalks, and wash in cold water to remove dirt and bugs
- Pat the chunks dry on a paper towel, then dice into small pieces (roughly a quarter inch), try to use the tips of the “petals” as opposed the the fleshy stalks
- Dice the shallot (or onion)
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then brown the shallots and diced mushrooms
- Add the broth, bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat
- In a separate dish, stir the flour into the melted butter to make a paste
- Add the butter paste into the saucepan and stir into the broth
- Increase the heat to medium, and add the milk, stirring constantly
- When the mixture thickens and begins to boil, stir in the heavy cream
- Cook over low heat without boiling for about 10 more minutes
- Season with salt and pepper
- Ladle the soup into bowls, then place toasted bread on top, sprinkle with cheddar cheese
- serve and chow down
