1 lb. fresh mushrooms
½ C. butter
½ C. chopped onion
1 C. diced potatoes
1 C. finely chopped celery
½ C. diced carrots
½ C. diced parsnips
1¾ tsp. salt (or to taste)
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 T. flour
2 T. cold water
3 C. boiling water
¼ C. grated Parmesan
1 C. milk or cream
Rinse, pat dry, and slice mushrooms (about 5 C.) Set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat butter. Add onion and sauté until golden. Add reserved mushrooms, remaining vegetables, salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.
Combine flour with cold water. Slowly stir into vegetable mixture. Add boiling water; simmer 10 minutes longer. Just before serving, stir in milk or cream and cheese. Heat until hot, but do not boil.
Note: 1) DO NOT exceed the quantity of diced parsnips called for in the recipe. Parsnip is a strongly, sweetly flavored vegetable, and a little goes a long way. If you don't know what to do to prepare a parsnip, treat it like a carrot BUT, check the center. If it's tough and woody, strip it out before dicing.
2) Television cooking experts will often tell you that you should never wash mushrooms, merely wipe them off, because washing them causes them to absorb water, which then causes your dish to be watery. I don't agree. I hate biting down on grit in any dish, and small, gritty bits often cling to mushrooms. I would rather deal with a little extra liquid than encounter grit. But that... is up to you.
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