Mushroom Soup à la Marie-Louise

Why I Love This Recipe
I found this simple and delicious soup recipes in Victor-Antoine D'Avila-Latourrette's book, "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups."
"Arranged by month with an eye toward seasonal variety and at least one recipe for every vegetable native to North America, the 175 soups include classic favorites such as Cream of Corn and Tomato and more unique recipes such as Jerusalem Artichoke, Provençal Rainbow, and Danish Onion-Champagne. With inspirational quotes proclaiming the goodness of soup sprinkled throughout and beautiful period block prints, Twelve Months of Monastery Soups is a celebration of the art of soup-making."
Ingredients You'll Need
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
8 oz. fresh mushrooms
1 large onion
8 tbsp. oil (I only used 2 tbsp)
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 bouillon cube (I used two, for more flavor)
1 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cut the celery, carrots, and mushrooms into thin slices. Mince the onion.
Pour oil into soup pot and add onions, sautée 1 - 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots, sautée 2 minutes.
Add water to the pot. Add muchrooms, bay leaf, bouillon cube(s), thyme and thyme. Bring to boil, then cook over low heat, covered, about 40 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste.