Cream of Green Bean Casserole Soup

I just woke up in the middle of the night one night. I was getting ready for the Christmas Party at my house and I suddenly knew I needed to make soup -- Cream of Green Bean Casserole soup.

The only problem is that I had never heard of it before. When the same thing happened with Cranberry Mustard, I went online and found hundreds of recipes.

The ingredients (my recipe) for Green Bean Casserole are basically Cream of Mushroom soup concentrate, French Fried Onions and Green Beans.

I had made some Cream of Mushroom soup a long time ago. But it was much better than the canned variety. I figured I could make some more and then blend in some green beans and be done with it.

So I started with Ina Garten's recipe for Mushroom Soup (Original: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cream-of-wild-mushroom-soup-recipe.html) and, of course changed it just a bit.

Start by making some mushroom broth. Prepare

• 16 oz mushrooms (the original has cremini, portobello and shitake and its very good)

Pop out the stems (break them where the stem meets the cap or cut them). Set the caps aside for the soup itself. Chop the stems and saute in the bottom of a stock pot or similar pan over medium-low heat until soft (perhaps 10 min) in:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter

Option 1: Add

• 1 large onion - cut in large pieces
• 1 large carrot - cut into a few pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 peppercorns
• pinch of thyme (a little more if its fresh)
• 6 cups of water

Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes

Option 2: Cover with

• 6 cups of vegetable broth

Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes

Whether you choose option 1 or 2, when the broth has simmered 30 minutes, strain out the veggies and reserve the liquid. If there is less than 4 cups, add some water. Set aside for use later

Now for the soup itself. Cook in a large pan or dutch oven over low heat for 15 - 20 minutes until beginning to brown

• 1/4 lb butter (1 stick)
• 2 cups leeks - chopped coarsely including the white and the more tender green parts. One or two leeks will provide you with 2 cups.

Meanwhile prepare the mushroom caps (all that's left of the 16 ounces from above) by slicing them up.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the leeks and cook 10 more minutes. The mushrooms will become soft and maybe a little browned.

Add and stir without stopping for a minute or two:

• 3/4 c flour

When no longer raw or lumpy, add and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get all that flavor into the soup:

• 1 c dry white wine

Add in:

• 4 c mushroom stock (prepared as described above)
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 14 oz cans of green beans - drain thoroughly first. Use a good quality of green beans that don't have stems, leaves or woody parts.

and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to make it into a smooth soup. An ordinary blender will do if you are very careful to blend about a cup at a time with the lid on. Keep it covered so the hot liquid stays in the blender and off of you.

Note: Some people like it better if you hold back half of the green beans and add them after blending, It makes a different texture and color but I prefer the whole thing to be smooth. Similarly, you could top with a few crumbles of french fried onion rings sprinkled on the surface once the soup is in a bowl.

Finally, stir in:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (the finer the better)

If the blending and the cream have cooled it down, warm gently. Do not boil. Do not simmer. Just get back to being hot.

Then remove from the heat and top with

• 3 pats of butter - leave them floating on top to melt slowly with the lid on

Serve hot. Serves 5 or 6.