Simple Recipes for Every Day
Wild Mushroom Chowder with Bacon and Leeks
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
Ingredients
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 8 ounces chanterelles (or mushrooms of your choice), roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ¾ cup dry white wine, (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
Method
Place the bacon in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon crisps and the fat is rendered, 8 minutes. Add the butter, leeks, and celery and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes more, or until the leeks and celery begin to soften.
Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the chanterelles, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the flour until incorporated.
Pour in the wine and simmer, scraping up any brown bits as you stir, until the liquid is reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the cream until incorporated and heated through.
Serve topped with pepper and thyme.