mushroom gorgonzola soup

ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound sliced mushrooms (I use cremini) *
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth **
1 cup half-and-half cream ***
1/2 teaspoon salt ****
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crumbled
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola or
blue cheese *****
1 tablespoon white wine or sherry
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
(optional)

directions:

1. place 2 tablespoons butter (I usually use olive oil instead because there is more butter added later and who needs all that butter??) in a skillet and melt over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. cook and stir until onions are soft and mushrooms reduce, about 5 minutes. remove from heat.

2. meanwhile, place the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a pot, and melt over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour; cook and stir until mixture turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. gradually pour in the chicken broth, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and rosemary; stir to blend ingredients. reduce heat to medium. stir the gorgonzola cheese and mushroom mixture into the chicken broth mixture; bring soup to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. place half of the soup into a blender. blend until smooth, and return to the pot. Stir in the sherry, and season with salt and pepper to taste. cook until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes more. garnish with fresh parsley, if desired, to serve.

* I'm sure I use more mushrooms than that... never too much mushrooms if you ask me!!

** you could easily substitute veggie broth for the chicken broth and make this a vegetarian soup

*** I never have half & half in the house so I just use milk (either 2% or skim) I have also substituted evaporated milk (just be sure it's evaporated and NOT sweetened condensed milk... THAT would be BAD!!) hehehe

**** I never add salt to this soup... between the gorgonzola and the broth I just don't feel like it needs any added salt... you may feel differently

***** I KNOW I use more cheese than this... probably at least twice that amount... like mushrooms, if you ask me there can never be too much CHEESE!! hehehe

I also don't recall ever adding wine to this... doesn't mean I didn't - just means I don't remember - I'm sure it would be fine if you didn't add the wine

note: half the time I just do the veggie step in the soup pot and then add the flour to that and go from there... rather than dirtying another pot

also I don't bother putting any of it through the blender... I'm way too lazy to add another step AND have to clean the blender - reading the directions now, that is probably why I don't think I've added the wine - the directions don't mention it until AFTER the blender step :/