Spicy Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup was always on of my favorite soups. It's rich and creamy texture is always filling and welcome. So one day, as I was eating a cream of poblano pepper soup that was slightly spicy, I thought: "hmm, what would it be like if I added a spicy pepper to my cream of mushroom soup?" And the result was surprisingly amazing. The spicy kick from the Serrano pepper is unexpected in a mushroom soup and it became an instant hit!

For the spicy cream of mushroom soup you will need

• One pound (1 lb) of white or brown mushrooms, cleaned and sliced. I am using white mushrooms for this example.
• One to two (1-2) Serrano peppers chopped, although you can also try with a green jalapeno or habanero pepper. Taste how spicy it is with seeds.
• One (1) red onion, peeled and diced
• Two tablespoons (2 tbsp) of olive or vegetable oil
• Thyme to taste
• Salt to taste
• Quarter cup (1/4 c) of olive or vegetable oil
• Two tablespoons (2 tbsp) of flour
• One cups (2 c) of milk
• Quarter of a cup (1/4 c) of heavy cream
• One quart (1 qt) of water
• Italian parsley or celery leaves to taste

In an 2-3 quart sauce pan, add the oil and heat it up on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until they start becoming clear. Stir occasionally and watch out the onions don' burn. Add the chopped pepper and continue sautéing until the peppers start softening up.

To by now the seeds would have roasted and released some of the spice into the oil and onions. Add the mushrooms and stir well. Add the salt and the thyme. The salt will cause the mushrooms to release juices. Sauté the mushrooms on high heat to get a reduction.

To the mushroom reduction, add two tablespoons of flower and stir quickly making sure the flower mixes well. Add the milk and heavy cream and mix well. When the mixture starts to thicken up add two cups of water and make sure that the mixture is even and lump free. Cook uncovered on medium to low for 30-45 minutes, depending on preferred thickness of soup.

When fully cooked, add the chopped parsley or celery leaves ad mix them into the soup. Serve as an appetizer or meal in itself. In the above picture the spicy cream of mushroom soup is served with zucchini and feta cornbread.