Soupy Sundays - Mushroom Soup with Focaccia

Winters here in Bangalore and it sure is chilly. The bright sun doesnt seem to be warming things up a lot so the garden is suffering. Wilted Poblano's and Jalapeno's and dying papaya saplings make a sorry tale.
Once the moping is done, its time to satiate the stomach. Decided to make the rest of the Sundays in the year 'soupy dinners'.
With the missus' ability to churn out breads at the drop of a hat (foccacia seems to be the mood), I added a complement of Mushroom soup with some really fresh looking button mushrooms bought over the weekend. This one is real easy and takes less than 20mts to make.

Ingredients
1/2 an onion, chopped into slices, dont worry about cutting these fine
1 packet of button mushrooms cleaned and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup of red wine
1/2 cup milk (optional)
3 cups water (no broth here, I prefer it to be all 'mushroomy')
1/2 cup cream (optional)
1tsp cornstarch
salt & pepper to taste

 Add the garlic to hot oil in a saucepan . Add onions and cook till they brown. I like them to carmelize before deglazing the pan with the red wine. Once done, add the mushrooms and let them cook for about 5mts, taking care not to crowd them in the pan.

Once cooked, place all contents in a blender and puree to a fine paste. Remove and replace in the pan with the water. Bring to a gentle simmer adding the milk and cream. Simmer for a couple of minutes more and add salt and pepper as per your tastes. Pour and garnish with whatever you have lying around. I used Chopped chives from the garden and some roasted pepper dip. Serve with warm toasted bread. Luckily, we had freshly made foccacia

Notice there's no chilly here. I like my soups muted and like the main ingredient to stand on its feet with just a hint of salt and pepper.