GLC Soup Series ~ Soup 4: Mushroom Bisque

I realize there may be some dissent on this recipe, because often mushrooms are a "love or hate" food. However, with the intensely cold weather recently, I'd been thinking about a mushroom bisque I had a long while ago, and really craving it. So that's why it's soup number four, and the second to last of the series.

Likely to be the most "complicated" of all the soups I make for the series, so far this one was my least favorite. Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, but it was also the one that seemed to need something--fortunately for me, and you if you want to make it, I know what it is.

Having never made mushroom bisque from scratch, I consulted numerous recipes. Many I found were heavy on the use of dairy or used a flour roux, and though I'm sure they would be tasty or work well--neither of those would be good to my digestive system, so I kept searching. Finally, I found one I believed would be the best option and, with a handful of my own tweaks, be really tasty.

The base recipe I used was from the Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen. What appealed to me about the recipe is the use of potatoes to create a creamy, thicker texture--instead of heavy cream, for example (though it does call for a cup of low fat milk to be used at the end). It also uses thyme as the (only) herb/spice, which I find to be the most complementary of herbs to mushrooms. However,  the recipe only called for 1/4 tsp--and I increased it to 1/2, but in the revised recipe below I chose to add more. Also, Katzen didn't specify what kind of mushrooms, so I used a mixture of fresh crimini, fresh white button, and some frozen porcini mushrooms.

Original Ingredient list (adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook):

2lb of mushrooms (I used 1lb crimini, 3/4 lb button, 1/4 lb frozen porcini)
2 medium russet potatoes
1 cup of mushroom broth (for cooking potatoes)
1/2 cup of water (for cooking potatoes)
1 1/2 Tbs butter
3-4 chopped onions (about 2 cups)
1 stalk of celery diced
1-2 tsp salt
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme
3 Tbsp of wine (I split this between a dry white and a dry red)
2 tsp tamari (or other soy sauce)
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of half and half
chopped chives for garnish

The result of the original recipe was a filling, earthy-flavored soup, which was quite nice. However, I had a couple of friends over for dinner where I served it, and we all agreed it was good, but it needed a little something else. One friend suggested some fresh grated parmesan over the top, which might have given it some more complexity (or saltiness).  What I really think is that it just needed more garlic and thyme and a good 1/2 cup of wine or sherry (which is what MC called for), and nix the water all together and only use mushroom broth (or stock). Also MC called for water to cook the potatoes in--and I imagine if I had it would have really been lacking in flavor. So, this is how I'll make it from now on...

Revised Ingredient list:
2lb of mushrooms chopped (mixture, but porcini should definitely be included)
2 medium russet potatoes
2 cups of mushroom broth (for cooking the potatoes), plus 1 extra cup if needed
1 1/2 Tbs butter
3-4 chopped onions (about 2 cups)
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 tsp salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup of dry sherry 
2 tsp tamari (or other soy sauce)
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of half and half
chopped chives for garnish

Start by peeling the potatoes and chopping them into one inch squares, then boil the potatoes in the mushroom broth.

While the potatoes are cooking, you can clean and chop your mushrooms.

Melt the butter on medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot (where you'll be making the soup). Once melted and hot add the onions and celery and saute until they start to become translucent, then add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms soften, add the salt, thyme, and garlic. Cook for about 2-3 minutes then add the sherry and tamari.

 

Now it's time to puree the mushrooms and the potatoes. I used my immersion (hand) blender, which readers know I love, and it worked well for the mushrooms. They were nicely diced without being too mushy (though I admit they look it).

 

 Do NOT drain the potatoes--using the hand blender puree the potatoes right in the broth. 

Then add the pureed potatoes and half and half into the mushrooms, and mix well (with a spoon). If the soup is too thick, add the additional cup of mushroom broth. 

Serve with chopped chives, a shave or sprinkle of parmesan, and/or scallions. 

As I mentioned earlier, this is the second to last of my soup series recipes. I would love a vote on the last soup to make. Right now I'm considering a lentil soup, a black-eyed pea with bacon soup, or an old fashioned chicken soup. However, if there's another soup you'd love for me to try (because you're looking for a good recipe) let me know. Please vote on your soup of choice in the comments

In the meantime, Buon Appetito!

GLC Soup Series ~ Soup 3: Easy Peasy Greens and Beansies...

...AKA beans and greens or minestra

 

This is likely to be the easiest of all the soup recipes I post for the series--for one reason: it's a wicked versatile soup. You can alter it a million ways with additions (rice, pasta, meat, other veggies, whatever you fancy), varying ingredients (different kinds of white beans, different kinds of broth, different greens, etc.), or make it less a soup and more of a side by using only a little broth. However, since this is a soup series, that's what I did.

Basic Beans and Greens Soup

Ingredients:

1-2 onions, chopped (1 large or 2 small)
5-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1-2 Tb good olive oil
2-3 quarts vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 & 1/2 cups of cooked (or canned), rinsed, and drained white beans (navy, great northern, or cannellini all work well)
2 lbs of escarole (about 1 large head) washed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for topping each bowl

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot (like a dutch oven) over a medium flame. When the onions are translucent, add the beans and season with salt and pepper. To get the beans to take on the flavor of the onions and garlic, let it cook (with a watchful eye) for about 5-10 minutes, adjust the heat to avoid burning. Tip--if you want you can add a sage or bay leaf while sauteing the beans for a little extra flavor.

When the beans have cooked for a bit, add the broth and let it come to a light boil. Once the broth is boiling, add the chopped escarole. Once the escarole is wilted, the soup is ready to eat. Pour yourself (and others) a bowl and add cheese to your liking

For alterations and add ins:

If using greens other than escarole: keep in mind that different greens have different cooking requirements. For example, if you want to use collards, you'll want to cut them up in smaller pieces and cook them longer (I might even saute them along with the beans, then add the broth). If using baby spinach, pour the soup over the spinach in individual bowls, otherwise it can turn kind of slimy.

If using meat (such as, say slices of Italian sausage or pancetta): make sure it is cooked and heated through before adding the broth--usually you can cook these with the onion and garlic--that is to say, add a step before adding the beans by adding the meat before the beans.

If using additional veggies: be sure to cook them appropriately. For example, if you want to add carrots, I would saute them along with the garlic and onion to ensure they are soft by the time the soup is ready.

If adding pasta or rice: cook them separately and add them to each individual portion so the broth isn't all absorbed and the pasta or rice doesn't turn to mush after sitting in the soup for a while.

I like this basic recipe because it's so easy and it can be changed often. After I made this, a few nights later I made it with chicken broth and added chicken sausage. How will you make it?

GLC Soup Series ~ Soup Two: Caldo Verde

If you've been following this blog at all, you probably know by now that I am a fan of kale. Well... to be more precise, I try to eat a good amount of it since it's a super food, and when it's prepared the right way, it's quite tasty. I find that kale is a perfect green for soups since it's so hearty and even after it's been in the broth a while it still maintains some texture (unlike spinach, for example). So for the second soup in the series, I decided to include one where kale is a major component. 

Caldo Verde is a Portuguese soup (it's literal translation is "green broth"). It's traditionally made with linguiça (a smoked, cured sausage), but finding it around here was not so easy, so I substituted it with smoked kielbasa made at one of my favorite places in all of Schenectady, Garofalo's. If you're from around the capital region, and don't know this place, I highly suggest a visit (if you're a fan of Italian food or fresh meats, anyway). They've been in business for ages and their products and service are the reason why. After speaking with one of the sisters (an owner), she suggested I use chorizo or the andouille as a linguiça subsitute--which I agreed might be more appropriate replacement sausages--but after I explained that I can only handle so much "heat" from spice, she agreed that the smoked kielbasa was my best bet. 

So here we go, with Gigi's version of....

Caldo Verde

Ingredients:

• 2-3 TB olive oil 
• 1/2 to 3/4 lb linguiça or chorizo or andouille or smoked kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (that's at least a lb pictured above, I didn't use the whole thing)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced or chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
• 3-5 (about 1 lb) russet or red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6-8 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb kale, washed with stems removed and cut into small, bite-sized pieces

Before I go into the steps, please keep in mind that getting good quality sausage is key. You can use one of the supermarket brands for your sausage, but chances are you will end up with a greasy layer of fat on top of your soup, which isn't particularly appetizing. So, I want to make sure it is understood before you make this and decide that it's disgusting--the quality of your ingredients is what can make or break a meal. The majority of sausages I've gotten from Garofalo's are very lean, and there was hardly any fat melting off this keilbasa.

Ok... now on with the cooking.

First heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot (I use my dutch oven) on medium-high heat for approximately 3 minutes. Then add and brown the sausage. Once the sausage is done, transfer it with the spoon to a bowl or plate.

Add more olive oil to the pan if necessary (and let it get hot), then add the garlic and onions. Sauté them until the onions are translucent and then add the potatoes. Toss the potatoes around the pan a bit, but just so they absorb some of the garlic and onion flavoring, not so they get brown. Then add the water and salt, and cook the potatoes until very tender--about 15 minutes.  

Once the potatoes have softened, mash a couple of them within the soup with the spoon or a fork--this adds a little creaminess to the texture of the soup. Then add the kale and let the soup simmer for about 5-7 minutes. 

Once the kale wilts into the soup and appears to be cooked through, add the sausage and stir. Let the soup simmer with all the ingredients for about five minutes or so to make sure the sausage is heated though and the flavors come together nicely. Then it's ready to eat!

For a soup that is so simple, and has so few ingredients, the flavors and textures can't be beat. The smokey and spicy flavor of the sausage complements the bitter greens, while the potatoes add a rich comforting starch with an almost creamy texture. If desired, you could sprinkle a little grated parm on top of this soup, but I don't think it's necessary. And though dipping a nice piece of bread or some crackers might be your normal accoutrements for soup, I don't think this one requires any additions.

You can store leftovers in your refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze it for longer, but I doubt it'll last that long...  I have to admit, over the course of five days, I made it through this entire batch (about 2 quarts). No taste-testers or even frozen leftovers, this soup was all mine. I had it for lunch or dinner each day, and it was gone before I knew it! 

GLC Soup Series ~ Soup One: Carrot Ginger

"Soup! We've got all kinds of soup!"

This was/is a common thing my mom would cheerfully and encouragingly say to me and my siblings when we were looking for a quick dinner. Growing up, my parents' house was (and is, still) full of a variety of canned soups. Rarely, though, did any of them appeal to us. Don't get me wrong, if my mom made soup for dinner (from a can or otherwise), we'd eat it, it just wasn't always the most appetizing food--especially because her homemade food was/is always so much better.

Anyway, this series is not going to be about soup in a can. It's going to be about soups made from scratch. And though they take some effort, they won't be so labor intensive that you'd probably prefer opening a can of Campbell's (and I admit, I still love their high fructose and sodium laden tomato soup on occasion--especially with grilled cheese).

****

The first soup of this series is a carrot ginger soup. Carrots and ginger pair pretty well together, and carrot ginger soup is relatively common. However, it wasn't until about seven years ago on a chilly early spring night, that I had one I loved. It was at a small and pricey French restaurant, so soup was one of the few things I was comfortable ordering there--and I'm glad I did.  Following that night, I searched for recipes and began experimenting with the ones I found until I finally made a carrot ginger soup that I think is just as good as the one from that French restaurant. If you decide to, you can just use vegetable stock (no chicken stock) to make it vegetarian, just don't omit the butter to make it vegan, I can't make any promises about this recipe if you do....

Gigi's Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients (Makes About 2 Quarts):
4 Tb unsalted butter
1 lg yellow onion, chopped
2 Tb minced or finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves crushed or minced garlic
4 cups of chicken stock
3 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 in. pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional ingredients for serving:
Fresh lemon juice
Snipped chives or parsley
Olive oil
Sour Cream

Begin by melting the butter on medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add chopped onions, garlic, and ginger, and saute for 15-20 minutes or until aromatic and onion is translucent. Try not to let the mixture brown as it will create a bitter flavor.

Add white wine and let it cook down a bit to burn off most of the alcohol (3-5 minutes), then add the stock, broth, and carrots. Heat until boiling, then reduce the heat and let simmer uncovered until carrots are tender (about 35-45 minutes).

Once carrots are tender (can be easily crushed with a fork or spoon), turn off the heat. Using either a hand (immersion) blender or a food processor, puree the soup until smooth.  Note: If you are using a food processor, be certain to let the soup cool a bit, puree it in small stages, and leave the shoot open, otherwise you may have a very hot explosion (and subsequent burns and a mess) on your hands... or face or entire kitchen. I used a hand (immersion) blender, which works best and allows you to pretty much serve the soup immediately. I love my immersion blender... someday I'll probably write a post just about that.

Anyway, once the soup is well pureed, you can season with a tablespoon or so of lemon juice (in the whole pot), and serve it with a sprinkle of chives (as I did), parsley, sour cream, or a dash of good olive oil--and any combination you please. I actually really like it with a small dollop of sour cream and than a dash of chive oil on top.

The soup is rich and filling without being very heavy. It is the kind of soup that can work well served as the star of a meal, particularly if it's served with  a good piece of crusty (sourdough, maybe) bread, or even a salad made with mesclun greens, apples or pears, and blue cheese.

My usual taste-tester, Andrea, had a cup of it after I made it and she said, "I think this is the best carrot ginger soup I've ever had." Granted, she seems to like most of what I cook, but I agree with her. :)

Bon Appétit! 

Short cuts: though I recommend fresh ginger, you can use the pre-crushed stuff that comes in a jar (not the dried, masticated stuff) to make this soup just be sure to use an extra tablespoon or so, and to make the prep a little quicker, you can always used some baby cut carrots (chopped in half length-wise) since they're already peeled and washed. 

Meatless (and Mexican) Mondays

I am a meat eater, but I mostly eat vegetarian--mainly because it's cheaper and tends to be easier to do so as a cook (i.e., it's a lot easier to mess up a piece of meat than a pot of pasta). Nowadays though, I try to make it a point to be meat free on Mondays--mainly for health reasons, but also for budget purposes. So I've been experimenting with more exciting vegetarian meals, and though I'm not a fan of green bell peppers (and they don't like me, either), I've always found that when a poblano is cooked, the flavor is mild and tasty. So last week I picked up some poblanos, which I decided to grill and stuff with beans, rice and corn.

Grilled and Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Ingredients
4 Poblano peppers
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup of black beans (I used refried)
1/4 cup of sweet corn kernels (canned or frozen)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
a few grape tomatoes sliced (for garnish)
Oil for grill pan

Serves 4

I cut each of the poblano peppers in half (lengthwise), removed the seeds and washed them. Then I popped them onto a lightly oil grill pan. I left them on the pan (on a medium flame) until they had some nice grill marks and were softened.

In the meantime I made the "stuffing" by combining the rice, corn, beans and all the seasonings (chopped cilantro through garlic powder) so that everything seemed well mixed.

Once the peppers were ready, I let them cool for a few minutes and then stuffed each with about a half cup of the filling and placed them in a roasting pan. Then I sprinkled the cheese on top of each and garnished with slices of grape tomatoes.

I popped the peppers in the oven for approximately 35 minutes on 350° just so the peppers would be nicely warmed through and until the cheese was melted well (see top photo).

I decided to use a jarred mole sauce to top the peppers, but the sauce itself, which isn't bad, seemed like it needed something extra, so I doctored it up with some  raisins and smoked paprika. Any tasty Mexican sauce (salsa verde, enchilada sauce, etc.) would probably go well with these, but I did enjoy the rich flavor of the mole.

I served the peppers with chopped romaine lettuce and pea shoots and the mole sauce, and it was a lovely meal. I definitely think I'll add this into my rotation. I've even considered adding chopped spinach to the stuffing, just for a little more greens.