Quick and Simple Cream of Mushroom Soup

Well, pretty much like everyone else, we have been stuck in our house for the last couple of weeks. Our only trips out have been to go to the grocery store. We have had some beautiful days weather wise and I at least get out to walk the dog on those days. On the rainy or cold days I fall back to cooking. A couple of days ago it was cold and rainy and so I was looking in the refrigerator to see what we had that needed to be used. We had a large container of Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms so I decided that it was a good day for soup.  I have previously posted a recipe for cream of mushroom soup, but this one is simpler,quicker and requires less ingredients. It is quite thick and creamy and tastes great so give it a try with some good crusty bread. 

Ingredients:

1.5 Lbs baby bella mushrooms
2 Leeks, white part only, finely chopped
6 TBSP butter
4 TBSP flour
3/4 tsps salt
1.5 Cups Heavy Cream
1.5 (14.5 OZ) cans chicken broth
1.5 TBSP Dry Sherry
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

Slice enough mushrooms to make about a cup and a half. Finely chop the rest of the mushrooms. Melt butter in a 4 Qt. sauce pan or heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Saute the chopped leeks until tender and translucent. Add the chopped and sliced mushrooms to the pot and cook until the mushrooms are tender and have given up most of their liquid (about ten minutes). Sprinkle the flour and salt over the mushrooms and stir continuously until thickened and flour is absorbed into the mixture. Gradually stir in heavy cream and broth. Heat until hot. Stir in Sherry and season to taste with the pepper. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve. Alternatively, top each serving with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream and a little dusting of paprika. Enjoy, but be careful. This is not a low calorie soup.