Hug yourself with a bowl of hot, thick, creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup. It will be ready in an hour.
– 2 pounds mushrooms, trimmed and sliced*, I used cremini mushrooms. – 4 Tbsp salted butter – 1 yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped – 1 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika – 1/3 cup dry sherry or dry white wine – 4 cups chicken broth, you can also use vegetable or mushroom broth. – 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce – 1 Tbsp lemon juice – 1 tsp salt – 1 ½ cups half and half – 2 Tbsp cornstarch – 1 cup sour cream – handful of fresh dill, snipped
Medium-high heat a Dutch oven or soup pot. In batches, add the mushrooms to the pot and sauté, stirring periodically, until they shed their moisture and brown.
Keep in mind that the pan's bottom will brown, adding flavour to the soup. Don't let that burn. Reserve mushrooms on a plate.
Melt butter in same pot. Soften onions by sautéing for several minutes. Add the paprika and simmer for another minute or two, stirring constantly.
Stir with sherry or wine as it evaporates. Add chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and salt to the mushrooms and any liquids.
Bring to a slow boil, then let it cook slowly for 10 minutes. Half-and-half and cornflour should be mixed together using a whisk. Add to the soup.
Simmer as soup thickens. Try any seasonings. Let the soup cool and refrigerate if making ahead. Before continue, rewarm to a simmer on the burner.
Sour cream and dill before serving soup. Sour cream can curdle, so let the soup cool before adding it. You can serve soup in sour cream dishes.