French Mushroom and Scallion Soup

This is a wonderful soup with unusual ingredients--scallions and mushrooms! The soup has a delicate flavor, and once pureed, becomes thicker and more chowder-like. We loved this with crusty bread and some salmon on the side.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons butter
• 12  scallions, green and white parts, sliced thinly
• 3  garlic cloves, finely chopped (or to taste)
• 4  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3  cups low sodium chicken broth (or for a vegetarian soup, use vegetable stock)
• 8  ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream or 1⁄2 cup half-and-half, if you want to conserve calories
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
•  chopped fresh tarragon (to garnish) or  chives (to garnish)

Directions

1. Heat the butter in a large pot over moderate heat.
2. Saute the scallions and garlic until tender but not too brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
4. Add the stock and mushrooms and bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently.
5. Simmer covered for 5 minutes.
6. Puree in batches using an electric blender or food processor.
7. (If you have one, an immersion blender is the best!) Strain, return to the pot and add the cream or half& half, salt, and pepper.
8. Reheat and serve garnished with chopped fresh herbs.
9. Serve with a crusty loaf of French bread and a glass of wine.