Cream of Mushroom Soup (Basic cream soup recipe)

I've taken a liking to making my own cream soups lately. I like to be able to control every aspect of my soup. Frog doesn't like not knowing what is in soup... Anyway, it seems daunting at first, but making creamy soups is actually quite easy.

Cream of Mushroom soup

Ingredients

250 grams mushrooms
250 grams bacon
3 tablespoons of flour
1 liter of chicken stock
250 ml of cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Finely cut the mushrooms and bacon. I usually cut the mushrooms in half and then slice them thinly
2. Heat up a pan and bake the bacon till fat starts pooling in the pan.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook on medium till the mushrooms have softened.
4. Lower the heat to low and add the flour. Start stirring and cooking the roux slowly (this is not a standard definition of roux!). Cook the roux for about 1 or 2 minutes.

5. Add the chicken stock in 5 to 6 additions, stirring each time until the stock is incorporated.

6. Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for 2 to 5 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

You can substitute mushrooms and bacon for almost anything, however if you want to use ingredients that tend to fall apart when cooked (for example: broccoli or other soft vegetables) then I would suggest you to make a roux first by cooking flour and oil or butter and adding the stock before adding your ingredients.

It is also fun to experiment with the kinds of stock used. You can substitute chicken stock with any kind of stock to suit your taste. Try adding some green onions or chopped parsley before serving.

Lastly: cream is not mandatory. It makes the soup just a little more rich, but if for some reason you can't or won't eat cream then it is okay to just omit it from the recipe.