Anthony Bourdains Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

6 tbsp butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

12 ounces button mushrooms

4 cups light chicken stock or broth

1 sprig of flat parsley (I like using Rosemary)

Salt and pepper

N/A freshly ground black pepper

2 ounces high-quality sherry (don't use the cheap grocery-store variety; it's salty and unappetizing and will ruin your soup).

Directions:

In the medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the mushrooms and the remaining butter. Let the mixture sweat for about 8 minutes, ensuring that the onion doesn't take on any brown color. Stir in the chicken stock and the parsley and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.

After an hour, remove the parsley or rosemary and discard. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and carefully blend at high speed until smooth. Do I have to remind you to do this in stages, with the blender's lid firmly held down, and with the weight of your body keeping that thing from flying off and allowing boiling hot mushroom purée to erupt all over your kitchen? When blended, return the mix to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and bring up to a simmer again. Add the sherry, mix well, and serve immediately.

I use a variation of mushrooms for this soup. The darker and heavier mushrooms make for a richer and more flavorful soup. You can make this 1-2 days in advance for easy entertaining. This is a ridiculously easy soup to make. It's tasty and durable, and it gets even better overnight.

From the great late Chef, Anthony Bourdain. This is FABULOUS and a great starter to any meal. Or, serve with a nice salad for a complete meal.