Curry Mushroom Soup with Spinach

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Periodically I will wax nostalgic and get out of all of my mother’s recipes. When she passed away, I made sure that I took every box, binder, and envelope containing her recipes because it represented such a large part of my life. In going through them I see handwritten recipes of friends and relatives who have since passed away, so it’s like spending time with old friends.

Mother had a lot of clippings from various books and magazines as well, one of which sounded interesting on a number of levels. It was a recipe for Curry Mushroom Soup. What puzzled me about her having this is that I don’t believe she cared much for curry, nor did she like cream soups. (“Too many calories!” she would say, eyes cast toward my thighs.) I, on the other hand absolutely love curry, and a soup can’t be too rich for me.

This morning, I satisfied my curiosity about this soup; it is without a doubt one of the most delicious mushroom soups that I have ever eaten. This, my friends, is restaurant quality. Because my mother cut this recipe out of a magazine, I have no idea as to the source. I do know that the name is a bit of a misnomer because there is a lot of spinach in the soup; so I’m going to take it upon myself rename it to reflect just that. The recipe directs topping it with bacon. I think the soup is plenty rich on its own, but have at it if you’d like.

Curry Mushroom Soup with Spinach

¾ c. butter, divided
4 c. sliced fresh mushrooms (about 12 oz.)
1 c. finely chopped Melissa’s shallots (about 3)
⅓ c. flour
3 T. curry powder
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. kosher salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
4 c. whole milk
2 c. heavy cream
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
6 slices bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled (for garnish)

In a large skillet, melt ¼ cup butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook until tender. Remove from heat. In a Dutch oven, melt remaining ½ cup butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, curry powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook two minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk and cream, and cook until thickened. Stir in mushroom mixture and spinach. Cook until heated through.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle bacon over top.

Yield: 8 generous one-cup servings.