Creamy Mushroom Soup

This is a rich, hearty soup that's great for dunking with a big chunk of crusty french bread or ciabatta roll.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1 cup chopped Portobello mushrooms
2 oz. dried wild mushroom mix (comprised of an earthy combination of black chinese mushrooms, nutty porcinis and oyster mushrooms)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
1 cup half-and-half
1 (48 oz.) can chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil then turn off the heat. Drop in the dried wild mushroom mix and let it soak for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Discard the liquid (it will have gritty sediments from the dried mushroom).

In the meantime, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, then saute the onion and the mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and the chicken bouillon cube. Cook while stirring occasionally, for another 5 - 7 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half. Heat through, but don't boil. Transfer about half of the soup into a large bowl. Use an immersion or hand blender to puree the soup left on the pot. Pour the soup from the bowl back in the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with optional chopped chives.

Makes 4-6 servings.