Mushroom Season

Make Room for Mushrooms!

They're easy to prepare

It's that time of year again...with a little bit of rain and cool weather, wild mushrooms will be popping up in the forests of Mt. Hood -- which means they will also be appearing in soups and sauces at local restaurants in The Villages of Mt. Hood. (Rendezvous Grill & Tap Room and The Resort (The Tartans & The Highlands) are featuring mushroom selections on their menus).

With growing popularity, more and more fresh and/or dried wild mushrooms are being seen in grocery stores. Look for chanterelles, oyster mushrooms and even the elusive, delicious morels.

Chef Dale Rasmussen of The Resort at The Mountain says that because mushrooms shrink, it's easy to be tempted to pile them high in the skillet. Sadly, this will steam them, resulting in chewy mushrooms with less flavor. He recommends cooking mushrooms over a good amount of heat in smaller batches for real flavor!

The following recipe was provided courtesy of Chef Dale Rasmussen of The Resort at The Mountain. You can combine several types of mushrooms in this soup if you like.

Wild Mushroom Soup

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 pounds fresh wild mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup cream Sherry
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, reserving 1/2 cup
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded mustard greens
• Ground nutmeg to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon

In a large saucepan melt butter with the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, thyme leaves, salt and pepper, cooking until all of the liquid rendered from the mushrooms evaporates. Add the Sherry and cook until evaporated. Remove a 1/2 cup of the cooked mushrooms and reserve. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of the chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. In a blender puree the reserved mushrooms and chicken broth in batches until smooth. Return pureed mushrooms to saucepan, bring to a simmer and whisk in the milk & cream. Add reserved chicken broth to achieve desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add shredded mustard greens. Keep soup warm but do not simmer or boil. Serve homemade croutons and enjoy!!