Dan's Mushroom Soup

Yum yum! Several friends have asked for this recipe so here you go:

Mushroom Soup with Port
1 oz. dried wild mushrooms (such as shiitake or porcini)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (we usually substitute portabello mushrooms)
3 Tb. all-purpose flour
salt and white pepper
2 tsp. soy sauce
5 Tb. tawny port
1 cup half and half
2 Tb. finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a medium saucepan, combine dried mushrooms and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. In a medium soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes or until soft. Add cremini mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper. Stir for 1 minute to cook flour and coat mushrooms. Whisk in the broth and dried mushrooms. Add the soy sauce and simmer for 15 minutes, partially covered. With a hand held blender, blend soup until roughly pureed OR transfer the soup into a regular blender in batches and roughly puree. Return to soup pot and add the port and half and half. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 2 minutes or until the alcohol has burned off. Taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.