Posts Tagged soup recipe

On Mushroom Foraging + A Recipe for Cream of Chanterelle Soup

For most of my life, I despised mushrooms. I hated the taste and color of mushrooms, but most of all I hated their slimy texture. I viewed mushrooms as an obstacle between me and a delicious slice of pepperoni pizza.

Granted, I had good reasons for hating mushrooms. When I was a kid, I ate a small handful of mushrooms I found growing in the backyard. My mom freaked out, naturally, and had me take some sort of medication that forced me to puke up all the potentially poisonous mushrooms. It was not my finest hour. In fact, I remember the whole experience was absolutely miserable.

That day, I decided I hated mushrooms and I never looked back.

Fast forward 20+ years and I am now living in Oregon. I am married to a mushroom-loving Oregonian. Mushrooms grow like weeds in Oregon, so I am literally surrounded. Eventually, I gave in. I can actually remember the first bite of a mushroom I tried that I actually liked. It was a morel that had been sauteed in a bit of butter — and it was nothing like those sad, grey mushrooms slivers I habitually pick off my pizza. It was meaty and dense, full of flavor and texture. It was delicious.

And now, I find myself wandering in the woods in search of wild mushrooms. I’m that person. (To be fair, I still don’t get mushrooms on my pizza. Old habits die hard, I suppose.) I have been converted to the wonderful world of mushrooms, and there is no looking back.

Here’s the thing, I am very new to the world of mushroom hunting. I am no expert, by any stretch of the imagination. But, I think that foraging for mushrooms is a blast and I thought I’d share a few tips and tricks with you all.

The first rule when hunting for mushrooms, is know thy mushroom. Do your homework! Buy an identification guide. Before you go picking (and eating!) wild mushrooms, you should know what you’re looking for. Secondly, be safe! Do not hunt for mushrooms on private property and be sure to wear bright colors when wandering about in the woods. Lastly, pack lightly. When I forage for mushrooms I bring a knife (to cut/harvest the mushrooms), a sack for carrying the haul (burlap or something porous, so the mushrooms will spread their spores), a bottle of water, and my iPhone (for Instagramming, of course). That’s really all you need!

Since we are in the midst of chanterelle season, here a few notes about hunting for these particular mushrooms. (Thankfully, chanterelles are one of the easier mushrooms to identify and there aren’t many ‘false’ chanterelles.) Chanterelles do not have typical gills like other mushrooms, rather, they have shallow ridges. Chanterelles are not hollow and they are usually orange in color and grow out of the moss and dirt. (Note: there is a variety of mushroom that looks something like a chanterelle and it grows on wood. Chanterelles only grow out of the ground and do not grow on wood, which is a helpful identifying tip).

As I said, I’m no expert. I’m very new at this, but I’m having a blast! Oregon is teeming with an amazing array of mushrooms, and I’ve only begun to scratch the surface. I can’t wait for more mushroom hunting adventures! As for now, I have chanterelles coming out my ears. :) My last few foraging trips have been quite successful and I’ve cooked a lot of chanterelles in the past few weeks. Of all of the recipes I’ve tried, this one is my favorite, so I thought I’d share. Keep in mind that this recipe does not have to be made with foraged chanterelles — you can also purchase them in stores!

Cream of Chanterelle Soup

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

1 pound chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
4 large shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
1 cup heavy cream
Salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne

Instructions

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic in butter for 5 minutes, or until translucent.
Add chanterelles and continue to cook for 5-10 more minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated.
Pour in the chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. (Be sure there is enough liquid to full cover the mushrooms.) Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
Remove bay leaf and thyme stems. Using an immersion blender (or food processor), puree the soup. Stir in the cream and return the pot to the stove and cook for 10 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.
Optional garnish: cook a few cook a few extra chanterelles with butter, salt, and pepper for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Sprinkle the mushrooms atop the soup for added texture and color.

Notes

Adapted from Saveur

http://rosemarried.co/2013/10/02/hunting-mushrooms-recipe-cream-chanterelle-soup/

Summer Corn and Vegetable Chowder

I hate to break it to all you pumpkin-loving peoples, but summer isn’t over yet.

I know that it is September, and signs of fall are all around us: school is back in session, leaves are starting to turn, and pumpkin spice lattes are back. (I think? I don’t actually drink them as I think they taste like crap.)

Let me remind you all that it is still technically summer. Fall begins on September 22nd, and until that day comes I plan on enjoying every last drop of summer. I want to laze in the sun and drink a Stiegl Radler. I want to BBQ and eat all of my meals outdoors. I want to eat cherry tomatoes like candy, straight off the vine.

Homemade corn stock.

This soup walks the fine line between summer and fall. It is warm and cozy, which is perfect for chilly September nights. But, the soup is made from a mix of ripe summer vegetables, so at the same time the soup is bright and vibrant.

Really, it’s quite perfect for this time of year.

Summer Corn and Vegetable Chowder

Serving Size: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

FOR THE CORN STOCK:
6 raw corn cobs (white or yellow), kernels cut off
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 red chili pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
Salt, to taste
FOR THE CHOWDER:
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow summer squash
1 red bell pepper
3 red potatoes, skin on
1 small white or yellow onion, peeled
3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cups corn stock (or chicken/vegetable stock)
1.5 cups fresh corn kernels (I used a mix of white & yellow corn)
1 cup cream
Salt & pepper, to taste
Minced green onions (for garnish)

Instructions

Make the corn stock (can be done ahead of time): Place corn cobs, bay leaves, 4 thyme sprigs, peppercorns, and red chili in a stock pot. Fill the pot with water, enough to cover the corn cobs (about 2 quarts). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow the stock to simmer for at least 1 hour. Strain and store in the fridge until use.
To make the soup, first dice the onion. In a dutch oven or large soup pot, head 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onion for 4-5 minutes, until soft. Meanwhile, wash and trim the zucchini, squash, bell pepper, and potatoes. Dice all the vegetables into very small cubes. Add the squash and bell pepper to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the corn stock and add the diced potatoes and thyme sprigs. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Add in the corn kernels, cream, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve warm and garnish with minced green onions or chives.

Notes

Adapted from Simple Bites.

http://rosemarried.co/2013/09/08/summer-corn-vegetable-chowder/

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup with Ginger and Mint

Summertime was made for cold soups. (Or is it the other way around?) Whatever, the case, I’m a sucker for a cold cup of soup on a hot summer day.

Chilled soups are simple, refreshing, and they require little or no cooking whatsoever. In the past, I’ve always made chilled vegetable soups: garden gazpacho, cucumber yogurt soup, beet soup with cilantro creme.

However, this was my first attempt at a chilled fruit soup. It’s light and refreshing, with a perfect balance of sweet and savory. The Greek yogurt gives the soup a creamy texture, but it’s the addition of fresh ginger and mint that makes this soup something special. It’s really quite lovely.

I would like to stress that this is not a dessert soup. It just isn’t all that sweet. I made this soup for a friend’s bachelorette party, and served it in small teacups as an appetizer. However, I think the soup could also be a great brunch dish. Heck, I’d eat a big bowl of this soup for dinner. (Truth be told, I would eat it anytime of the day. All day. Every day.)

All of that to say, this is summertime in a cup. Get some!

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup with Ginger and Mint

Ingredients

1 ripe cantaloupe
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons cream
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons honey
1 small sprig of fresh mint
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Peel & slice the cantaloupe into large chunks.
Place the cantaloupe pieces, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, ginger, and salt into a food processor or blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth & creamy. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Add in a few mint leaves and pulse a few times, until mint is chopped and incorporated into the mix.
Pour mixture into an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving. Prior to serving, stir in the cream. Ladle into cups or small bowls and garnish with a mint leaf.

Notes

Adapted from Pinch My Salt

http://rosemarried.co/2013/08/04/chilled-cantaloupe-soup-with-ginger-and-mint/

Celery Root Soup with Caramelized Apples

I find that whenever I purchase celery root at the local grocery store, the clerks always give me a funny look.

“What is this?,” they ask, with incredulous looks on their faces. I explain to them at it’s a celery root – you know, the root of the celery plant – and they still don’t quite get it. “Celery root…” they repeat back to me as they frantically flip through their binder to find the appropriate produce code, “what on earth do you DO with it?!“

I’m not kidding you, I have this conversation 9 times out of 10 when I buy celery root.

It seems that celery root isn’t nearly as popular as the crunchy green stalks that grow from it. It would seem that I am in the minority, because I much prefer celery root. Here’s how I think of it: if celery stalks and potatoes got married and had a superchild, it would be celery root. It has all the starchy wonderfulness of a potato, with just a kick of crisp green celery flavor. It’s darn near perfect.

This soup shows off all the wonders of the celery root: it’s smooth, creamy, and comforting. And then when you add the caramelized apples on top, the whole thing just tastes like Thanksgiving. And that, my friends, is never a bad thing.

Celery Root Soup with Caramelized Apples

Serving Size: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 small celery roots, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
8 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 leeks, washed and sliced into thin rings (white and light green parts only)
1-2 stalks of celery, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter (1 for the soup, 1 for the caramelized apples)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cream
2 granny smith apples, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add in the leeks and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and celery and stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Add in the cubed celery root and stir to coat. Add a bit more butter if necessary and cook for 2 minutes. Next, pour in the chicken (or vegetable) stock. Add in the bay leaves, thyme, and a dash of salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer until celery root is tender (about 30 minutes).
Remove the soup from the heat. Using an immersion blender (or a food processor), purée the soup until smooth and creamy. Return the pot to the stove and stir in the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. (If you would like to thin out the soup at this point, you can add in more half and half or a bit more stock). Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed.
To caramelize the apples, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a skillet over med-high heat until it foams. Add the apples and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the apples with brown sugar and stir to combine. Cook for 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to brown and caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside until use. (Optional: I added some freshly ground black pepper to my caramelized apples and it was great.)
When you’re ready to eat the soup, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with caramelized apples. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from Letite’s Culinaria

http://rosemarried.co/2013/03/10/celery-root-soup-with-caramelized-apples/

Rainy Day Remedy: Duck Pho

Pho: (Pronounced: Fuh) A Vietnamese noodle soup, typically made with beef broth and thin rice noodles, usually garnished with basil, bean sprouts, and lime.

I was dithering back and forth about posting this recipe, as I was worried that it might sound fancy, complicated or inaccessible. And while I like to cook fancy food from time to time, ultimately I want my recipes to be accessible. I want to post things that you want to cook.

The thing I want to stress about this recipe is that it only sounds complicated. It really isn’t! The whole idea to make duck pho came about when I saw a recipe for Turkey Pho (made with Thanksgiving leftovers! Genius!). As I mentioned in my last post, since I didn’t roast a turkey this year, I decided to roast a duck. In all actuality, my wonderful husband roasted the duck while I was at the gym. Let me tell you, coming home to roast duck (prepared by the person you love) is a really great thing.

So, we ate the roast duck (and holy smokes, it was good) and when we were finished, we had a whole duck carcass on our hands. We had no choice but to make duck stock! And since we made duck stock, making duck pho seemed to be the next logical step. So that’s just what we did.

For the record, this recipe could easily be made with chicken or turkey. I happened to roast a duck, hence why I made this pho with duck. I don’t often roast ducks (read: this was the first time), but I do roast chickens relatively frequently, so I see a lot of chicken pho in my future. I’ve always thought of chicken pho as a better version of chicken noodle soup. In fact, whenever I’m not feeling well, all I really want to eat is pho. I’m not sure why I’ve never attempted to make it until now, I think I always assumed it was really complicated. All it requires is a bit of time to make the stock (which can simmer away while you do other things, like decorate your Christmas tree! Which is exactly what I did.), and a few key Asian pantry ingredients.

Making pho a great way to use up leftovers (whether it be duck, turkey, chicken, etc), and it’s the perfect rainy day meal. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but we get a lot of rainy days in Portland. ;) But pho is the perfect remedy for rain: it fills the belly, warms the insides, and clears your head.

Duck Pho
(Adapted from Serious Eats)

Leftovers from 1 roast duck (i.e., 1 duck carcass, wings and legs included)
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
6 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise pods
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
6 sprigs fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 dried shittake mushrooms
Salt, to taste
Thin rice noodles

Garnishes:
Bean sprouts
Sriracha
Hoisin sauce
Lime wedges
Green onion, sliced thinly
1-2 jalapenos, sliced thinly (seeds included)
Cilantro (and/or Thai basil)

Remove any leftover meat from the duck, set aside for use in the pho.

To make duck stock (pho soup base): Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stock pot. Cook the onion, until starting to brown, 5 minutes or so. Add in duck bones, and fill the pot with cold water. Add in star anise, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, cilantro sprigs, garlic, and shitaake. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and allow the stock to simmer for 1-2 hours.

Strain the stock into another pot. Add in fish sauce, salt, and ground pepper to taste. Start with the addition of fish sauce, and add salt afterwards if needed (fish sauce is very salty). If serving pho immediately after making stock, allow stock to simmer over low heat on the stove. Add in duck meat and sliced green onions, and allow to cook in the broth for a few minutes before serving.

To assemble pho: Cook rice noodles according to the package directions. Drain, and place an equal amount of rice noodles in each bowl (I made 4 servings) and pour the hot broth (with duck meat and green onions) over the noodles. Garnish with bean sprouts, lime wedges, jalapeno slices, cilantro, Thai basil, and a hefty dose of Sriracha.

Note: I had about a quart of duck stock leftover after 4 large servings of pho were consumed.

On Thankfulness & Chili with Vegetables.

It’s November, and most of the world is quickly falling into a holiday frenzy. The chaos has begun and I want no part of it. I want peace, and rest, and quiet. I want to stay home and read books. I want to cook warm, cozy dinners and spend time with people I love. I want to be thankful.

The holiday season is a mixed bag of emotions for me. There is so much I love about this time of year (food, family, traditions, celebration, etc), but it is easy to get lost in the madness of it all – to get stressed out about finances, juggling family, menu planning, gift giving, and all that stuff.

And I’m guilty of it, just as much as anyone else. I’m a perfectionist who thrives on stress and it is so easy to let myself get carried away. So, I’m trying something new this year. I’m finding one new thing to be thankful for every day. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I take a minute to remind myself of all the good in my life.

I am happy, I am healthy, I am alive.

I’m married to my best friend and he loves me. A lot.

I have the best family (and a whole bunch of wonderful friends).

I have the best cat and bunny on the planet.

I am blessed.

And today, I’m thankful for chili. (It may sound trite, but it’s true!)

More specifially, I’m thankful for leftover chili. I made a giant pot of this chili earlier in the week, and I’ve had a bowl of it for lunch every day this week. I love having leftovers for lunch! I’m not sure why a post about chili prompted me to be thankful, but somehow I think it’s fitting. There’s nothing glamourous or exciting about a pot of chili. Quite the contrary, chili is the humblest of foods. But, sometimes the simplest foods are the best. Chili is comforting, nostalgic, and perfect for cold November evenings. It might not be pretty, but it sure is delicious.

Growing up, my mom made a classic chili with ground beef, tomato paste, onions, and kidney beans. I think her secret ingredient was tomato soup, but whatever it was, it worked. I love my mom’s chili. However, this is not my mother’s chili. This is more of a cross between a standard chili and a hearty vegetable stew. It has all the makings of a classic chili (ground beef, beans, tomato), but it also has Delicata squash, poblano and red peppers, carrots, celery, and fennel. This chili is rich, hearty, and filling.

I must thank Nadine from the Dundee Dirtbox Farm and CSA for giving me the idea to put all these fantastic vegetables into chili. It had never occured to me that Delicata squash (with their skins left on, no less!) would be delicious in chili. But, Nadine made this chili for a potluck birthday party for my dear friend Mari, and I loved it. I took mental notes about what all she had included in the chili, so that I could re-create it at home. And then I promptly re-created Nadine’s chili at home a few days later (I couldn’t wait, it was that good!).

Really, there’s not much else I can say about this recipe. At the end of the day, this is merely a loose set of guidelines for making a great pot of chili. It isn’t rocket science, it’s just chili. But it’s really good chili. Feel free to get creative with the recipe and add (or subtract) whatever you desire. Heck, use this chili as an excuse to clean out your fridge! It’s that kind of recipe. And it is exactly what I needed this week. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, I needed a humble bowl of chili.

And for that, I’m thankful.

Chili with Fall Vegetables

Note: This ingredient list is based on the vegetables I had on hand, but feel free to include whatever you want! I also threw in a handful of cherry tomatoes that I’d frozen, but I didn’t include this on the ingredient list as I wasn’t sure how many people would have bags of frozen cherry tomatoes! Also, you’ll notice this recipe does not use stock or liquid of any sort. The juices from the canned tomatoes & vegetables were enough for my chili, but if you feel yours is too thick you could add a bit of water or stock.

2 lbs lean ground beef
3 cups (canned) whole tomatoes in sauce (or fire-roasted tomatoes)
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 small delicata squash (or 1 medium/large squash)
1 poblano pepper
1 red pepper
2-3 small carrots
2-3 stalks of celery
1 small fennel bulb (or 1/2 of a large bulb)
1 bay leaf
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1.5 Tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablesoon tomato paste
Salt & pepper, to taste

*Optional: This chili is good with a dash of cumin powder, if you happen to have some onhand.

Halve the squash and remove seeds with a spoon. Roughly chop into 1″ squares. Note: If you’re cooking the chili for a long time (1.5 hours or more), you can leave the skin on the Delicata squash (if using any other kind of squash, you must peel it). But, the Delicata skins are thin (and tasty) and can be left on if you’re cooking the chili for a while.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat a small amount of olive oil. Add in diced onion, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in ground beef and cook with onions until the beef is cooked all the way through (and browned). While the meat is cooking, stir in chili powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, chop all vegetables. Remove seeds from the Poblano and Red Pepper.

Once the meat is browned, add in all canned tomatoes and juices. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Add in the rest of the vegetables (squash, celery, carrot, fennel, etc) and stir coat with tomato juices. Add in bay leaf and tomato paste.

Cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, at least an hour. Add in the kidney beans 30 minutes prior to serving (I add them later, as I don’t want them to break down and become mush). Taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary before serving.

Garnish with grated cheddar cheese and avocado.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I love winter squash, I really do. But at this point in the year, I start to grow a little tired of squash. All you locavores out there know exactly what I mean. The bountiful harvests of summer are long gone, and we are left with squash, squash, and more squash. I may be exaggerating ever-so-slightly, but you get the idea.

So, it is precisely at this time of year – when I feel myself despairing at the thought of eating one more squash – that I come back to my favorite squash recipe: a simple curried butternut squash soup. All it takes is one bite of this soup and I forget my wintertime woes. It doesn’t matter how many other ways I attempt to prepare winter squash, I always come back to this recipe. There is just something so special about it. The curry powder and cayenne add a subtle (and delightful) spice, while the maple syrup brings the perfect amount of sweetness and balance to the soup. The secret to this particular soup is roasting the squash first, as the roasting really coaxes the most flavor out of the squash.

So, I’ll keep this short and leave you with this little tidbit: There is a brightness to this soup that I can’t quite explain. It makes me happy. And even though my heart is set on summer, this soup makes the winter seem not quite so dark.

CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup fennel bulb, diced (about 1/2 a bulb)
1 medium butternut squash, peeled & cubed
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup cream (*can easily be omitted to make recipe vegan or dairy-free)
2 tsps (or more) of your favorite curry powder
2 Tablespoons Maple syrup
1 bay leaf
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
Dash of cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Roast the squash: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cubed squash with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread into an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast until tender (about 20 minutes).

2. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add in onions & fennel and cook until tender, 5 or 6 minutes. Stir in curry powder and cayenne and cook for one minute more. Add in roasted squash cubes and stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add in stock, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs.

3. Bring mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. After this time, remove the bay leaf & thyme springs and blend thoroughly (with an immersion blender, food processor, etc).

4. Once blended, gently stir in cream and maple syrup. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Add a dash more curry powder, if you so desire. Let simmer on the stove on Low for a couple of minutes. Garnish with fresh ground black pepper, or a dollop of creme fraiche.