Lenten Gruel...or a fairly tasty vegetarian mushroom soup

I know, it has been since forever that I actually posted a recipe. I am probably a bit rusty. Well, let's give it the old college try:

This is the soup I brought to the St. Anthony of Padua Event last night. It was pretty good. It would have been better with a brown goose stock, but Friday in Lent and all that.

First, you want a decent vegetable stock:

leek tops (washed - you don't want mud in the stock)
a carrot, chopped
celery leaves, chopped
three peeled garlic cloves
two bay leaves
a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
a handfull of dried porcini mushrooms
half a teaspoon of black peppercorns.

Cover with cold water and simmer for a couple of hours.

Make a packet our of parchment and fill with mushrooms (I used crimini and shiitake, but fresh porcini would have been ideal), a few unpeeled cloves of garlic, a few sprigs of thyme, and a dash of Extra Virgin OIive Oil,
and roast for 45 minutes to an hour in a 375 degree oven.

Strain stock into another large pot.
Throw unpeeled quartered waxy potatoes (I used about seven good sized reds for a large pot) into the stock and boil until the potatoes are soft.

While they are boiling, thinly slice the white and pale green bottoms of two or three leeks. Place them in the bottom of your soup pot with a generous splash of water, a teaspoon of salt, a dash of vinegar (white wine or rice is best - I was out of both and used apple cider vinegar, which was fine) and a Tablespoon of unsalted butter. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Take the lid off the leek bottoms, add a dash of sugar, raise the heat and reduce the liquid. Pulverize the leeks with the mushrooms (be sure to take the garlic out of the peels and to remove the woody stems of the thyme, and pour the liquid off into your stock) in your food processor or food mill. You want them as smooth as you can get them.

In small batches pulverize the potatoes and the stock, stirring them into the soup. When everything is smooth and mixed, return the soup to the stove. Add salt (you will probably need to add quite a bit, as the potatoes soak it up), three Tablespoons (or so) butter or cream, a dash of vinegar (I used balsamic for this stage), a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and freshly cracked pepper. Adjust. It it is too flabby, add vinegar. If it is too sharp, add butter or cream. If it is flat, add salt, etc.

Serve with French bread slices that have been brushed with EVOO and toasted, and a sprig of thyme.

I would pair this with a dry, minerally white wine.