This week, cook up a delicious soup, stew, or chili. If you have a pressure cooker, like an Instapot, you can leave it to cook while you are working and return to a delicious smelling house and a ready-to-eat meal. I made a big pot of creamy mushroom soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs mixed mushrooms (like cremini, oyster, bella)
• 1 sweet onion
• 8 fresh sprigs of thyme
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice mushrooms. Dice onion. Mince garlic. Strip thyme leaves, discarding stems.

Add olive oil to a large pan. When oil begins to shimmer, add the mushrooms, half of the minced garlic, half of the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Stir occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and beginning to crisp. Take off heat.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is foaming, add diced onion, stirring constantly for 10 – 15 minutes, until onions are golden and caramelized. Add the rest of the garlic and stir for about 1 minute.

Whisk flour into pot with onion for about 1 minute, until flour is lightly browned. Stir in wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up any browned bits.

Stir in chicken stock, bay leaves, the rest of the thyme, and add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 12 minutes.

Stir in the mushrooms and continue to let the soup thicken, about 10 – 15 more minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream.

Serve immediately with buttered baguette for dipping.

(Makes 4 – 6 servings.)