Hobbit Soup

I am just thrilled that it is beginning to feel like fall. Creamy chicken- or sausage-mushroom soup is one of my favorite things to cook on a chilly evening. The earthy color and flavor of brown mushrooms, the scent of thyme, stirring with a wooden spoon in a cast iron pot. I always feel like a little hobbit wife in a subterranian home at the edge of the woods when I make this.

This recipe is a favorite with my family:

3 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 lbs. sliced mushrooms (I use crimini)

1/2 c. chopped scallions or onions

3 Tbsp. sherry

5 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. dried thyme

4 1/2 cups of water

4 1/2 tsp. bullion

salt and pepper to taste

2 sausages sliced and browned in a skillet

(or add chopped cooked chicken)

heavy cream (to taste) 1/2 to 1 c.

1. Cook mushrooms & onions over med- high heat in melted butter/olive oil about 5 min.

2. Add sherry, flour, & thyme, reduce heat to low & cook, scraping pan constantly for 5 min.

3. Add water, bullion, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat to med and simmer 20 min.

4. Take off heat and add cooked meat & cream.
5. Ring the dinner bell!