roasted mushroom and garlic soup

I've been making soup every Friday night now. Each week I make a different flavour depending on what I've got leftover or an abundance of in the fridge.

We've had:

A sort of gazepacho-type soup (think chunky tomato, cucumber, baby potatoes with a spicy kick -- I had too many cucumbers and a handful of baby potatoes that weren't enough for a main side dish)

Plain ol' chicken noodle (that's the one I make the day I make stock to use up whatever pieces of cooked chicken come off the bones)

Onion soup with melted cheese (I bought another bag of onions thinking I needed them, but I didn't. Oh well! Caramelized onions for the win! -- with the older onions, natch)

Leftover stir-fry soup (This one was nerve wracking, but it turned out really delicious! I put everything we had left into it: baby corn, water chestnuts, beef slices, broccoli, cabbage, sauce)

Cream of tomato soup (I opened a can of tomatoes to add to ground beef and still had a lot leftover. I also cracked open a can of evaporated milk and had half left. Puree the tomatoes, add some tomato paste, garlic, evap. milk easy!)

And now roasted mushroom and garlic soup which was decided on because I just happened to be at Superstore on their "clean out the mushroom bin" day and got a large bag on clearance (but it definitely wasn't the largest bag there!). I love roasted mushrooms, so half of that bag went on top of some steaks on Monday and the other half, into this delicious soup. It's really astonishing how four cups of chicken stock can magically be transformed into different and unique soups every week, isn't it? I don't seem so crazy for making so much chicken stock now, do I?!

{roasted mushroom and garlic soup}

2-3 handfuls of whole mushrooms, washed and cut in half

1 whole garlic bulb with top sliced off to reveal the cloves

olive oil/salt/pepper/herbs

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup milk or cream, optional

In a roasting pan, add mushrooms and drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper and any other seasonings you'd like. (I believe I added some oregano as well.) Toss well to coat the mushrooms in oil. Add the garlic bulb, drizzle a little oil on that, and roast the whole lot at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on it to achieve your desired doneness.

Heat up your chicken stock, add the roasted mushrooms, carefully peel the garlic cloves (they're still hot!) and add as many or as little as you want (roasting garlic gives it a nuttier flavour and it's not as strong as raw garlic would be). Using an immersion blender or a conventional blender, carefully puree the mushrooms and garlic together with the stock. I don't need my soups to be completely smooth, chunks are usually okay, but I try to get as many as I can when it comes to mushrooms as it doesn't taste like proper mushroom soup if the mushrooms are left whole (trust me, I've tried). Simmer, taste, and add more seasonings if needed. Add a splash of milk or cream, if desired, and serve.

{note} I'm sorry for the lack of "recipes" around here. I've been more interested in winging it lately than following specific measurements. I'm basically giving you a rough idea of what I used in this soup. Measurements (aside from the stock) and time are approximations.