Low carb mushroom soup with Parma-ham chips :Tuesday-lunch

Ingredients

Soup

• 7 oz. Parma ham
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 oz. (²⁄₃ cup) yellow onions
• 1 lb (6½ cups) mushrooms
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 5 tbsp dry white wine
• 7 oz. (⁴⁄₅ cup) cream cheese
• 2 cups water
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Parsley oil

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 oz. (1¾ cups) fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C), preferably using the oven’s convection setting.
2. Put thin slices of parma ham on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake on the upper rack in the oven. Check on them every 5 minutes and flip them a few times while drying. It will take about 30 minutes for the ham to crisp up.
3. Sauté onions, mushrooms, and garlic in butter in a thick bottom pot on medium-high heat, until golden. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
4. Add cheese, water, and wine. Stir. Bring to a boil for a few minutes and then lower the heat to medium and let simmer for 15 minutes or until it gets the consistency you prefer. The longer you let it simmer the creamier it gets.
5. Whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add yolks and mix well.
6. Turn off the heat and fold in the egg cream into the soup without boiling it further.
7. Add oil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a tall beaker. Use an immersion blender for 30 seconds or until the oil and the parsley are merged together.
8. Serve the soup with a spoonful of parsley oil and parma-ham chips on top.

Tip!

Regular white wine or one part white wine vinegar and water gives this creamy soup a nice flavor. You can also use hard liquor as a dry vermouth, dry port wine or cognac. Adjust the amount to taste. You can of course skip wine or liquor completely, then squeeze some lemon juice into the green oil. Also, you can make the soup vegetarian by substituting roasted nuts for the parma chips!