Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup

The temperatures are starting to cool down now here in Eastern Canada. We have had frost a few  mornings and a few dampish days.
Damp cool days are soup days!  For me soup is the ultimate comfort food and when it is a soup like creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup, so much the better! 
 As a young Bride one of the first places I lived was in Calgary Alberta.  While there I had a lovely Hungarian friend named Esther.  She was such a sweet girl. We spent a lot of time together.
Esther had had polio when she was a child and so needed the aid of crutches to walk. She was so inspiring to me because there was nothing Esther could not do, and no mountain she would not/could not climb.
 
 It was Esther who taught me how to make beautiful delicate cheese and potato pierogi from scratch. I can't believe that I have never shared her recipe for pierogi on here.
I must rectify that soon. There is nothing so delicious as a pan of butter fried cheese pierogi with fried onions and sour cream on the side.  Heavenly bliss.
 Esther also taught me how to make this beautiful creamy Hungarian mushroom soup.  It is rich and delicious and filled with gorgeous flavors.
Sweet onion, meaty mushrooms, lemon, dill, sour cream and a good stock all work together to create something with is sublime and quite simply delicious. There is no other word to describe it. 
Not is it incredibly tasty, but it is also really quick and easy to make.  I have taken the liberty to downsize the original recipe today to feed only two to three people, but everything can quite easily be doubled or even tripled to serve more.
 WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE HUNGARIAN MUSHROOM SOUP
The ingredients list is fairly simple here. It may look like a long list, but almost everything is a common kitchen ingredient.

• butter ( I just use plain salted butter)
• onions (one medium onion, peeled and finely chopped)
• button mushrooms (get the freshest you can find)
• chicken or vegetable stock (if you want a vegetarian version)
• dried dill weed
• full fat milk
• flour
• salt and pepper
• lemon juice
• sour cream (again full fat)
• parsley (I use dried, but if you have access to fresh by all means use it, just double the quantity)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• butter croutons to garnish (optional)

 HOW TO CLEAN and PREPARE MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms are one of those things which have a fairly high water content. I do not recommend cleaning mushrooms in water or soaking them. 
Mushrooms act like a sponge and soak up water in much the same way. Water logged mushrooms will not fry properly and will not develop a beautiful golden color. 
Most mushrooms available to us in the shops these days are grown in controlled conditions in a pasteurized substrate.  They are really clean to begin with and only require a quick wipe with a damp sponge or cloth.  
Trim off the tips of the stem end, discarding or saving for future stocks (you can freeze them). Cut in three to four slices across depending on their size.
 
HOW TO MAKE HUNGARIAN MUSHROOM SOUP
This is a relatively quick and easy soup to make.  There no requirement for any type of specialist equipment as the mushrooms are kept sliced and intact. This makes for a somewhat hearty soup!
Melt the butter in your saucepan. You will only need a medium sized one for this recipe. Add the onions and sauté them in the butter for about five minutes without coloring them. 
  If you are going to have the optional mushroom garnish, reserve about 1/2 cup of them and then add the remainder to the saucepan with the onions.  Cook them for a further 5 minutes, giving them only an occasional stir until they are nicely softened.
Don't worry about browning these ones too much. You really don't want the onions to color.
 
While you are cooking the onions and mushrooms for the soup you can make the mushroom garnish by cooking the reserved mushrooms in a small quantity of butter in a heavy based skillet over medium high heat.  
These are the mushrooms you want to brown. Do not agitate or stir them. Leave them as undisturbed as you can to achieve the optimum golden brown color which is what you want. Set these aside and keep warm.
 
Once your mushrooms and onions in the saucepan have softened you can add the stock, paprika, dill, parsley, some seasoning and the soy sauce. I use Kikkoman fermented soy sauce, which has a lovely flavor.
Cover your saucepan and simmer for about fifteen minutes.  At the end of that time, which together your milk and flour until smooth and stir this into the saucepan, making sure it is well amalgamated. 
Make sure you have no lumps in the mixture. If you are worried about that, push it through a small sieve into the soup.
 
Cover and simmer for a further fifteen minutes.
At the end of that time, stir in the sour cream and lemon juice.  Heat through for about five minutes or so.  Don't allow it to boil or it may curdle.
Your soup is now done. Ladle it into heated bowls and top each serving with some of the sautéed mushrooms, some butter croutons and a sprinkle of parsley.
 HOW TO MAKE BUTTER CROUTONS
If you are wanting to garnish your soup with croutons there is no need to buy ready made unless you want to.  Homemade croutons are much tastier and very easy to make. 
First of all use a rustic type of bread. Sour dough is really nice, but any bread will do.  Remove the crusts and butter the bread slices lightly on both sides. Cut into small cubes.
If you want to add any seasonings, now is the time to do it. Salt, pepper, garlic or onion powder, herbs, etc. Pick what you like.
Toast the croutons in a hot oven (425*F/225*C) for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Alternately you can toast them in a toaster oven or air fryer.
I like to make a whole bunch of these when I have stale bread or even croissants to use up. You can keep the finished croutons in a tightly closed container in the freezer for up to six months. They come in very handy for things like soups, salads, etc.
 
Toast the croutons in a hot oven (425*F/225*C) for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Alternately you can toast them in a toaster oven or air fryer.
I like to make a whole bunch of these easy butter croutons when I have stale bread or even croissants to use up. You can keep the finished croutons in a tightly closed container in the freezer for up to six months. They come in very handy for things like soups, salads, etc.

And there you have it, Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup.  Quick, easy and delicious!  Note, because of the sour cream, this soup does NOT freeze well. The sour cream will split.
You can reheat any leftovers gently in the top of a double boiler. The important thing is not to let it boil. 
This makes a beautiful hearty luncheon soup, especially with some crusty rolls served along side of it.  Very tasty!! é  é PrintWith ImageWithout Image

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Yield: 2 - 3Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 20 MinCook time: 37 MinTotal time: 57 Min

Ingredients

• 2 TBS butter
• 2 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 pound (8 ounces/230g/3 cups) button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 cup (240ml) chicken stock
• 1/2 TBS Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1/2 TBS soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried dillweed
• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
• 1 1/2 TBS flour
• 1/4 cup (30g) full fat sour cream
• 1 TBS dried parsley, plus more to garnish
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and black pepper to taste
• butter croutons ( optional)

Instructions

1. Remove 1/2 cup of the mushrooms and set aside. (These will be the garnish.)
2. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, without coloring.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes longer.
3. In the meantime heat a small amount of butter in a small skillet. Add the reserved mushrooms and fry over medium high heat, without disturbing for about 5 minute, then give them a good stir and set aside. Keep warm.
4. Add the chicken stock, paprika, soy sauce, dried dill and parsley to the saucepan.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Whisk together the milk and the flour.  Whisk this into the saucepan of soup. Cover and cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Whisk in the sour cream and lemon juice.  Heat through for 3 to 5 minutes.  Do not boil or the soup may curdle.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
7. Serve in heated bowls with some of the sautéed mushrooms on top as well as a few buttered croutons and a sprinkle of parsley. 

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