Fall Mushroom Soup with Savory Herbs

(recipe adapted from Edible Maine magazine)

5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 yellow sweet onions, diced
Kosher salt
3 leeks, cut into thin rounds
1 1/2 lbs. button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup sherry
4 cups vegetable broth
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 lb. maitake mushrooms (or any fancy mushroom blend), cleaned and cut bite-sized
3 sprigs oregano (or similar amount dried)
3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked from stems (or similar amount dried)
3 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked from stems (or similar amount dried)
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk

In a medium, heavy-bottomed soup pot with a cover, warm 3 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and a big pinch of salt and give a stir.  Cover.  Let cook for 5 minutes.  Add the leeks and let cook for another 10 minutes.  Add the button mushrooms and another pinch of salt and let cook for 10 minutes, checking periodically to make sure that nothing is browning.  All the vegetables should be sweating in their own natural juice.  Add the sherry and turn up the heat to medium-high.  Let boil for 2 to 3 minutes until the alcohol is cooked off.  Add the vegetable broth.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for another 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat.  Put half of the mixture into a blender and blend to a slightly coarse texture.  Return to the pot and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium sauté pan, melt remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat.  Add the maitake mushrooms, herbs, and salt to taste.  Sauté until tender.

Add the sautéed mushrooms and herbs to the soup pot with the almond milk.  Stir and warm.

(I added a bunch of fresh chopped tarragon to the soup as well because I had on hand.  Sautéed it with the mushrooms, and instead just added the other dried herbs directly to the soup with the broth.  Was delicious!)

Wild Mushroom and Spinach Stuffing

(recipe from Bon Appetit magazine)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, stemmed shiitake, and crimini), cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 9 cups)
3 cups chopped onions (about 1 lb.)
2 cups chopped celery (4 to 5 stalks)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
5 ounces baby spinach leaves
12 cups (generous) 1-inch cubes day-old pain rustique or ciabatta bread with crust (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup (or more) broth

Melt 1/4 cup butter with olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add diced wild mushrooms and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Saute until mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.  Transfer mushrooms to large bowl.

Melt remaining 1/2 cup butter in same skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and celery.  Saute until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes.  Add all herbs; sauté 1 minute longer.  Add spinach and toss until just wilted, about 1 minute.  Add vegetable mixture to bowl with mushrooms.  DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead.  Cool, cover, and chill.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets.  Bake until bread is crusty but not hard, reversing sheets after 5 minutes, 10 to 12 minutes total.  Transfer to very large bowl and cool.

Butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish.  Stir vegetable mixture into bread.  Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend well; whisk in 1 cup broth.  Add egg mixture to stuffing, tossing to combine evenly and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry.  Transfer stuffing to prepared dish.

Bake stuffing uncovered until cooked through and brown and crusty on top, 50 to 60 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes.

(Stuffing is always tasty, this one particularly with the mushrooms throughout.  I skipped the bread cube baking step, as I had cut my bread the day before and left it out overnight on the counter to dry out.  Thanksgiving 2015 - me alone and a whole bunch of stuffing!  Yum.)