Winter Wild Mushroom Soup

Monday was not my most glorious day at work, and when I got home I was anxious to the max.  Since a meal can not be made out of Ben and Jerry's alone (though I tried, believe me, and creme brulee was my poison of choice), I decided to do a little cooking.  I made a sandwich out of rotisserie chicken, white cheddar, and avocado - good, but it wasn't until I started to cook a new recipe that I began to calm down.  There's something about taking all the ingredients out of the fridge, chopping, and stirring that finally allows my mind to wander past the stresses of the day.  And believe me, there were plenty of stresses.

Monday's recipe was wild mushroom soup.  Over the weekend, I found a wild mushroom mix at Whole Foods that included cremini, shitake, and oyster mushrooms.  I sauteed them with shallots and butter and then added in what Whole Foods called the "Holiday Mix" of herbs.  This fresh spice pack was a melange of rosemary, sage, and thyme and smelled so wonderful.  I think I really started to calm down once the smell of those herbs began wafting through my apartment.  Next I added chicken stock and simmered for about 15 minutes, until it was time to add some cream, sherry, salt, and pepper.  Since i didn't add any flour and my ratio of mushrooms to base was slightly off, I pureed the mushrooms a little bit with a stick blender to thicken the soup.  I think I actually prefer the texture of the half pureed, half sliced mushrooms.

This soup was surprisingly easy to make, especially with the help of the fresh but prepackaged herb mix.  It was an incredibly satisfying without being heavy and the flavor was all pine needles and spruce trees.  Basically, it tasted like the forrest in the best Winter way.  It was the perfect cure for my severe case of the Mondays.