Ontario Mushroom Soup, Gluten Free

"What do you call a mushroom who buys everyone drinks and is the life of the party? A fun-gi!" Ha!

Hiya followers, I hope your weekend was lovely. Ours was great!
So, today's soup might be the most controversial during 'Soup Month!' If there is one thing I have learnt from working in the food industry for 16 years, it is that people either love mushrooms or hate 'em with a passion! I happen to fall into the love em' category and I'm happy to say that my sweetie does as well. With a turbulent past and the fact that most varieties are poisonous, I can understand why some people prefer to skip the mushrooms. Heck, Buddha was said to have been killed by a poisonous mushroom and I betcha none of his friends or family never ate one again! Luckily, we have only edible fungi in the stores these days, so unless you are an adventurous outdoor scavenger, you should be safe! I'm actually thinking about buying a home growing mushroom kit off the interweb this spring and see what happens. Wouldn't that be cool? Well, as long as they're not of the magic variety... Far out!!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Ontario Mushroom Soup
(serves 4)

3 tbsp butter
454gr mushrooms, sliced (I prefer a combination of button and cremini)
*1 tbsp dried porcini (optional)
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, white part only, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
750 ml water, vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup cream (5, 10 or 35 %, it's up to you!)

.in a pot, melt 2 tbsp butter on medium heat, toss in everything, except the last two liquids, with a pinch of salt and pep and stir frequently until the onions are soft (about 5 mins)
.add in the water or stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer with a lid on for 45 mins
.remove some mushroom slices to set aside for garnish and puree the rest (I always find my hand held wand mixer most handy for this job and I prefer to use it right in the pot!)
.stir in the last tbsp of butter and the cream, adjust seasoning, enjoy!

I made a batch of this soup and sent to work with Kev. His manager really liked it and wanted the recipe, so here you go Gary! To end today's blog, I am attaching a few pictures of our trip to Niagara from the weekend. We had a great time and won a combined total of $150 at the casino! Big winners! It was enough to treat ourselves yesterday in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I love that place. Tea and scones at the 'Pillar and Post' gave us the warmth and energy to make it through the 'Ice Wine Festival' happening along the main street. Ice wine certainly helps when it's in the minus 20s! A stop for lunch and a pint at the 'Angel Inn' was then needed to defrost our chilly selves. Gosh, I just love that little old pub and I love a relaxing weekend getaway! But, here we are and I suppose it's back to reality. I'll have another blog up for you mid week, my followers! Hmmm, I wonder what will be next during 'Soup Month?'