Cream of Morel Mushroom and Spring Pea Soup

If you are in the Midwest, you might be wondering if spring will ever arrive. Every year it feels at odds that the biting cold of April will ever yield to the warm and sunny days of May. At least to me, it feels winter has mostly taken over spring. Most of my friends love to get away from the cold during January and February, while I choose to get out of dodge in the spring, especially April. This year, I landed in sunny Tucson, Arizona.

When I travel, I always enjoy visiting the local grocery stores and markets to see what regional offerings are available. I was pleasantly surprised to see fresh shucked peas and morel mushrooms at the local market. I wouldn’t consider these two items to be local specialties, but I wanted to try the cultivated morel mushrooms and see how they compare to the wild morels I am accustomed to eating. If you have read any of my blogs on hunting or cooking with wild mushrooms, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I could not resist buying these little gems.

After making this recipe, I would say that the wild morel mushrooms I am accustomed to eating are much more flavorful. Using these cultivated mushrooms in a soup made for a very flavorful soup broth even if the mushrooms themselves weren’t quite as good. This recipe can certainly be made with any variety of mushrooms you have on hand. I would just adjust how you clean and prepare the mushrooms according to each mushroom, check out my blog on how to clean mushrooms for more detailed information.

Spring soups are a wonderful way to take the chill off of the inevitable cold spring days ahead, while providing an opportunity to enjoy some of the long awaited spring produce.

Cream of Morel Mushrooms and Spring Pea Soup

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes (assuming peas are shucked)

Cook time: 45 minutes

Total time: 75 minutes 

4 Tablespoons butter

1 large shallot, minced

4 tablespoons of flour, or more if you prefer a thicker soup

6 to 8 ounces morel or other mushroom

1 cup dry white wine, such as Sancerre, Pouilly Fuisse, or Pinot Grigio

4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

8 ounces fresh shucked or frozen peas

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Clean the Mushrooms

Cultivated mushrooms are typically not as dirty as a wild mushroom, but morels' rough texture can easily hide sand and dirt, so I covered the mushrooms in water and gave them a thorough rinse. Always better to be safe than sorry with this variety of mushrooms. These mushrooms were very small so I did not cut them in half, just so they would not entirely disappear in the soup. Normally I would always cut them in half to clean them.

Step 2: Start the Base

The base of the flavor in this soup is created by sautéing shallots in butter. Take a 3-quart sauté pan and heat it over a moderate heat, add the butter and shallots and sauté until the shallots are translucent and fragrant.

Drain the mushrooms and add them to the pan, sauté the mushrooms for about 4 minutes or until they become fragrant.

To the sautéed shallots and mushrooms, add the flour and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. This cooking will reduce the starchy texture in your soup.

*Note: This recipe yields the finest body for soup, one where when you put the spoon in the soup and pull it out you can see the spoon through the soup (nappe). If you want a thicker soup, one where when you put a spoon in it and pull it out and the soup is thick enough to coat the spoon, I would suggest doubling the flour.

Step 3: Add Liquid and Simmer

Next add the cold wine to the soup, cold wine is best since it will stop the cooking and break down the lumps. Immediately follow the addition of the wine with cold or room temperature chicken stock and whisk. Reduce the temperature to a simmer and let simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.

Add fresh peas and cream and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Finally, season with salt and pepper.

Many herbs will be popping soon that would really compliment this soup, tarragon, dill, chervil or parsley would all be delicious additions sprinkled on each bowl before serving. Diced spring potatoes can be added when you add the chicken stock to create a more substantial soup, if you like. Try garnishing the soup with spring onion or leeks, if you like.

And last but not least, make sure to serve this soup with a big slice of delicious bread. I was lucky enough to get to sample some of Barrio Breads offerings while I was in Tucson, this is a bread it is worth going out of your way for. Dunking a piece of good bread in a delicious soup certainly makes my heart sing!

To learn how to make another beautiful delicate spring soup, you must take our new Hands-On Spring Garden Spotlight on Tuesday, May 28 at 6pm that features Butter Lettuce and Scallion Bisque with Herby Greek Yogurt.  

And to master making your own bread for soup dunking all year long, don't miss our Hands-On Artisanal Breads Boot Camp on Saturday, June 8 at 10am with an all-new menu: 

• Pull Apart Garlic-Herb Fans
• Cinnamon Sugar Star Twist
• Cornmeal Molasses Sandwich Loaf
• Multigrain Sourdough Bâtard
• English Muffins
• Deli-style Rye Rolls