Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

by Michelle

   When my sister and I went gluten-free many years ago we had to find new ways to prepare old family-favorite recipe. Back in the day it seemed so overwhelming to convert recipes, but in truth, we discovered it isn't too difficult. Once you know how to swap rice flour for all-purpose wheat flour and tamari for soy sauce and a few other tricks, everyday recipes become easy to make gluten-free. I'll tell you what's difficult, going Paleo is much more of a challenge. But even then, there are so many resources today to help us navigate our food journeys that practically everything is "figuroutable".

   Every once in awhile, Linda would get a hankering for Tuna Noodle Casserole or Green Bean Casserole, but she absolutely refused to let Campbell's Condensed Mushroom Soup pass through her lips, which were pursed in disapproval. I came up with this recipe to meet Linda's dietary requirements and she was quite thrilled to once again enjoy some foods that she had previously given up. They say, happy wife, happy life. But in my world, it's happy sister, happy life.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup


   If you prefer to use less dairy, you can opt to use 2-1/2 cups chicken broth and a half cup of 1/2 and half or cream.
   A can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup is 10.5 ounces (298g). This recipe yields 40-ounces (5 cups).

Ingredients:
To cook the mushrooms:
1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned and stems trimmed, finely chopped
1/2 cup diced shallots, or diced yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsps unsalted butter
2 tsps low-sodium tamari (gluten-free)
a few grinds black pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry

For the soup:
4 Tbsps unsalted butter
1/4 cup rice flour (for gluten-free) or all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups milk (and maybe a little more), I prefer whole milk but 2% works well too
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh
1/4 tsp celery seed
three to four dashes Tabasco
pinch of grated nutmeg
1-1/2 tsps sea salt or low-sodium tamari (gluten-free) or to taste and a few grinds black pepper

Procedure:
1. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for one to two minutes until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sherry, cook another minutes and then transfer mushroom mix to a bowl.

The mushrooms are roughly chopped. 
Retain all the liquid from cooking the mushrooms. 

2. Return saucepan to burner, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour, and whisk constantly to make a roux. Stir continuously for a few minutes to ensure flour is cooked and the mixture turns a light peanut color. While continuing to stir, slowly add milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve lumps. When all the milk is added, continue stirring slowly and constantly over medium heat until the mixture reaches a boil. 

3. Add mushroom mixture and collected liquid to the the soup. Stir to mix well. Add seasonings and taste. Adjust seasonings, if needed. The sauce should be thick, but I like it when it is still fairly pourable. If the soup is too thick, thin with a little milk or chicken stock. Remove soup from heat; use immediately, or cool and refrigerate. The soup can be made two days ahead. Store covered in the refrigerator. Yields 5 cups, or 40-ounces.