Mushroom Soup with Heavy Cream

Serves 6 in about 1 hour. The pressure cooker brings leeks and tbsp flour together.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 leeks, chopped (the white and light green parts)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 2 lbs mushrooms, chopped (use a mix of portobello, shiitake, crimini)
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp table salt)
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
• ½ cup cooking sherry (or dry white wine)
• 6 cups chicken broth, low sodium (or a good mushroom broth)
• 6 tbsp flour
• 1 cup heavy cream (more if needed)
• Fresh parsley, as garnish

Method

1. Before you begin cooking, have all of the vegetables chopped, and the other ingredients ready to go.
2. Turn on the pot's Sauté setting. When it is hot, add the olive oil and the butter. Then add the leeks and onion. Cook, while stirring now and then, until they are tender, translucent, and have a little bit of browning on them for best flavor.
3. Stir in the garlic and stir.
4. Stir in the mushrooms, salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Cook, while stirring often, until mushrooms start releasing their liquid and turn a darker shade of brown (they will reduce it size, also).
5. Tip in the sherry or wine and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot, if necessary.
6. Tip in the broth and stir. Set the lid on the pressure cooker and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
7. Cancel the Sauté setting. Then press the Pressure Cook or Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 5 minutes. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
8. When the cook cycle has ended, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 instant Natural Release). Then turn the knob to the Venting position to do a Quick Release of the remaining pressure/steam. Do this slowly at first to make sure no soup spews out with the steam!
9. When the pin in the lid drops down, turn the pot off and open it. Gently stir the soup.
10. Beat together the flour and heavy cream.
11. Turn on the Sauté setting and let the soup come to a simmer. Beat in the flour mixture and let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Then turn off the pot.
12. Use an immersion blender to blend some of the soup, but not all of it, unless you don't want any of the texture.
13. Garnish with a little cream and some fresh parsley

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.