You know when you have a cold?

And you can’t breathe through your nose?

And because you can’t breathe through your nose, you can’t appreciate the delicious cooking smells in the kitchen?

And because you can’t appreciate the smells, you can’t savor the tastes?

Yup. That’s where I was all of last week.

I was cooking, because, well, a girl (and more importantly, her fiance, has to eat). But I wasn’t enjoying the process as much as I usually do. And so, I didn’t feel like writing about food.

But, thankfully, yesterday, I woke up and I was able to take a deep breath through my nose!

I was excited to be able to breathe and to smell, and of course, to eat.

Not just eat. Savor.

I started thinking about what to make as soon as I woke up and I kept heading back to childhood comforts.

One of my favorite foods growing up was Mushroom Soup. And not just any mushroom soup, but that cream of mushroom that could be found at Pal’s Cabin.

Pal’s Cabin was an amazing little restaurant in my hometown that served up the most amazing cream of mushroom soup. Ever. How amazing? So amazing that my parents had it served at their wedding.

When I was sick, mom or dad would stop by Pals and pick up a container to bring home for me.

But living in New York, that’s not an option. Actually, even if I were home it wouldn’t be an option. Pals Cabin closed recently.

That thought made me realize I had a mission. I had to make a cream of mushroom soup that would be a stand in for my childhood cure for all ailments.

And so, here’s my mushroom soup recipe.

You will need

• 1 package white button mushrooms
• 1 package mixed mushrooms (mine had oyster, cremini, porcini and shiitake)
• 1 small red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a few sprigs of thyme
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Wash your mushrooms, chop them up into bite-sized pieces and toss them into a heavy-bottomed soup pot with some olive oil.

 

Sautee over medium heat until browned.

While the mushrooms cook, chop the red onion and the garlic.

 

You don’t want to let the mushrooms brown too much. Just enough that they have a little bit of a head start. Then add in the onion and garlic, a few sprigs of thyme and some salt and pepper.

Let everything cook until the onions are nice and soft and the mushrooms are browned.

Add in the vegetable broth and let the liquid come to a boil. The simmer for about 20 minutes or so.

Right before serving, add in the heavy cream and let it warm for a minute or two. There’s just enough cream to make the recipe have that taste of richness, but not too much that it overwhelms the mushroomy flavor.

Serve up in big bowls. Breathe in the earthy broth and savor the taste as it slides down your throat.