Belle's Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup

My own recipe! Super-delish, and was much enjoyed by The Dude, The Best Friend, and The Best Friend's Husband. You can puree it (or half of it) for a Campbell's can toothless consistency, or leave it chunky like I do.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

8 oz. Shitake mushrooms, chopped
8 oz. Oyster mushrooms, chopped
8 oz. Enoki mushrooms, chopped
Two stalks King Oyster mushrooms, quartered lengthwise, then chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 bunch fresh sage leaves (7-10), chopped
4-6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup good red wine
4 cups beef broth
1/4-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Take half the butter, melt on medium high until foamy. Add the onion, sautee for 2 minutes until soft and golden. Add flour and sage, sautee 2-3 minutes more until flour is cooked up (so it doesn't taste pasty at the end).

2. Add remaining butter, and melt. Add mushrooms, and a pinch of salt sautee until soft. King oyster mushrooms will always be chewy, don't worry.

3. Add red wine, bring to a boil, until most of it evaporates. Add beef stock, bring to a boil again. Add cream, stir until you get the level of creaminess you want. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is a great starter for a beef entree. I was relatively happy with my braised beef ribs, but it really does matter where you get your beef. At $6.99/lb, I've never been disappointed with my local-and-no-longer-creepy butcher shop, but at $2.99/lb at Safeway, I was really disappointed with the stringiness of the beef, which probably has to do with how it's cut and the quality of it--it should be marbled with fat and not as dry as mine were. Also, it's a dish that requires you to throw out your mirepoix, which seems wasteful. Next time I'm making brisket.