Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Serves 4
- 600 g (1.3 lb) fresh mushrooms (white button, or your favorite)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 medium-large potato
- 200 g (7 oz) cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed)
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 Tbsp) heavy cream (or plant-based cream)
- 1 clove garlic (halved, germ removed)
- 2 sprigs thyme,
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 liter (4 cups) vegetable stock (or water)
- Salt, pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (or butter)
- Serving ideas
- a few shavings of Parmesan
- or a few sautéed mushrooms
- or a slow-cooked egg or soft-boiled egg
- a few snipped chives or chopped parsley
In a Dutch oven or large pot, sauté the sliced onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the quartered mushrooms (set a few aside for garnish), the garlic and the potato, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Once softened (without browning), add the stock, thyme and bay leaf, cover and cook for about 30 minutes. If you want sautéed mushrooms for garnish, cook them in a skillet at the same time while the soup simmers.
Transfer the vegetables from the pot (remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs) to a blender with some of the cooking stock (I never add all of it, and top up depending on the texture I’m after) and the chestnuts, adjust the seasoning and blend until the soup is smooth and velvety. Add the cream, stir and serve in bowls.
Tips and variations
- For a dairy-free version, swap the heavy cream for plant-based cream and top with sautéed mushrooms or crumbled chestnuts instead of Parmesan.
- When in season, you can replace the onion with the white part of a leek.
- As for the chestnuts, they’re sold cooked in vacuum-sealed packs in every supermarket. Check where they come from: surprisingly often it’s China, and personally I prefer to avoid those.