Mmm Good Mushroom Soup

Nothing could be more compelling on a winter’s day than mushroom soup. All the earthy goodness reminds one of a season when no snow was about for sure. Yet it’s comforting and filling.

This recipe lets the goodness of the mushrooms bloom and star and this recipe also works as a light “sauce” for  say a pork cutlet too.

That makes it versatile and that makes it a keeper!

INGREDIENTS:

• 24 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned, dried, trimmed, and quartered
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 7 sprigs thyme, divided
• 2 small lemons, halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 375°F. Place mushrooms, onions, garlic, and 5 thyme sprigs in a large bowl. Squeeze lemons into the bowl and add the squeezed lemon halves. Add olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
2. Transfer to oven and roast until mushrooms release liquid, about 15 minutes. Carefully drain liquid into a separate container and reserve. Return mushrooms to oven and continue roasting until browned but still tender, about 30 minutes longer.
3. Remove lemons and thyme sprigs and discard. Transfer mushroom mixture along with drained liquid to the crock of a slow cooker. Add sherry, half and half, heavy cream, sour cream, and stock, along with remaining 2 thyme sprigs. Stir to combine and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Discard thyme sprigs. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender. Set blender to lowest speed and slowly increase speed to high. Blend until desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, blend with a hand blender directly in the slow cooker.
5. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat on the stove-top before serving.

SERVES: 8

NOTES: Feel free to substitute any mushrooms you love. A combination would be great with the base being the cremini ones I think. I prefer using an immersion blender so that I can leave some chunks.

SOURCE: Serious Eats

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Roasted Tomato Gazpacho

Gazpacho.

Oh I just love the sound of the word don’t you?

Nothing says lazy late summer than Gazpacho.

It is the queen of tomato soups, the elegant mistress of gorgeous globes of grand fragrance and taste.

Oh, stop me.

This is different than most, one that I created, and changed up to suit my own tastes.

You will notice a lack of cucumber, since I don’t like the taste of it in my soup for some reason. It always leaves me wishing I’d left it out, so I did.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 lbs or so of ripe real tomatoes (the best you can get) halved and seeded.
• 4 cloves of garlic, topped and in foil drizzled with EVOO.
• 2 Hatch, Anaheim or Poblano chiles, sliced in half and laid cut side down
• 1 small red sweet pepper, sliced into chunks
• 1/2 medium onion sliced in chunks
• 2 6-oz cans of tomato juice
• 1 c beef stock
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp  sherry vinegar
• 1/3 c EVOO
• 1 tsp cumin
• juice of one lime
• salt, pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place all the veggies in a bag and pour some EVOO over and gently rotate until all are coated.
2. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and place in a 425° pre-heated oven until all are charred a bit and soft. (you may have to remove some items before others)
3. Cool the veggies and then place in a food processor or blender and whirr up until pureed. (you can pulse it if you wish to make it chunky or smooth as you choose.
4. Pour into a bowl. Add the balance of ingredients.
5. Adjust the tomato juice to get the consistency you desire. Check for salt and add as needed. Add as much pepper as you like. I like a great deal, up to a tablespoon is fine.
6. Chill well or serve at room temperature

SERVES: 4

NOTES: You can of course vary the heat, adding jalapeño or Serrano peppers in addition if you like. If you don’t want the Hatch type peppers, add more sweet peppers.

SOURCE: Sherry Peyton

Pumpkin Chorizo and Black Bean Soup

I kind of came to soup late. Raised on Campbell’s, I never really saw the value of soup much. I never thought to order it in restaurants. I certainly never made it. But something made me try one at one point, and like a piano following on your head, I was sorta hooked.

And I have not been disappointed. You can do so much and vary a soup so easily that, well I tell ya, pretty much give those cans of Campbell’s away and all the other cans of “gourmet” soups, that are easier to make and taste way better anyhow.

This is one of the better ones I have come across. I made it pretty much as directed by the author. You will not be disappointed. Fair warning. It has a “bit” of spicy kick to it. You can tame that as you desire.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed (omit for vegetarian)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 pinch cinnamon (optional)
• 3 cups chicken-broth or chicken stock or vegetable-broth.
• 2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Saute the chorizo and onion until the chorizo is done and the onions are softened and translucent.
2. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
3. Add the spices and stir in well.
4. Add the balance of the ingredients. except for the lime juice and cilantro and stir in well.
5. Simmer for about 10 minutes until all is blended.
6. Puree about 1/3 of the mixture using either an immersion blender or remove to a regular blender.
7. Just before serving, add the lime and fresh cilantro, stir in and serve.

SERVINGS: 6

NOTES: If you want to reduce the heat, half the chipotles in the recipe or omit them entirely. You can substitute a milder chile such as a poblano or a jalapeño if you wish. I would however char the and peel any chili to provide a deeper flavor.

SOURCE: Closet Cooking

Related Recipes

• Spicy Chorizo and Bean Soup (splendidrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Sweet potato and chorizo soup (hannahlbryan.wordpress.com)

Country Potato Soup

I guess the winter is winding down, but there is still time for great soup. What am I saying? There is always time for great soup!

This is a filling and very satisfying one, filled with good stuff, and flavorful.

It’s inspired by Pioneer Woman’s Potato Soup. I have adapted it to my own tastes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 slices thick bacon, cut into one-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 3 tbsp flour
• 6 cups of diced potatoes, diced. Avoid baking potatoes. I don’t peel, but you certainly can.
• 1 qt of chicken stock (unsalted preferred)
• 1 c heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp creole seasoning (commercial or homemade)
• 1 tbsp freshly minced parsley
• 1 c grated cheese (Edam was my choice)
• 3 scallions, finely minced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook up the bacon until crisp in a large heavy-duty soup pot. Remove when done, and pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of bacon fat.
2. Saute the onions, carrots and celery until softened in the fat.
3. Add the flour, and stir for a couple of minutes until the flour has cooked.
4. Add the potatoes and chicken stock.
5. Stir, and add the creole spices, salt and pepper.
6. Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are fork tender.
7. Remove one-third  of contents to a food processor or blender and puree.
8. Add back to the soup pot.
9. Add the cheese and parsley, stir until melted.
10. Garnish with scallions.

SERVES: 6

NOTES: You can puree all of the soup if you wish. You can lighten it up by replacing half of the cream with milk. Garnish with more parsley and more grated cheese. Your cheese choice is whatever you like. Try it different ways and make it versatile!

Related articles

• Loaded Baked Potato Soup (cantstayoutofthekitchen.com)
• Creamy Loaded Potato Soup (lauralovinglife.org)

Trees and Cheddar Soup

Yes, it’s broccoli and cheddar cheese soup. And it’s delicious if I do say so. I cannot take all the credit for I grabbed this recipe from the Foodnetwork. But of all the recipes I’ve looked at and tried, this is the best. I did make some minor changes.

It has a few unusual ingredients, which is why I think it stands out as better than most.

Even though it has cream, it does freeze quite well. It’s easy enough to half or double as you need.

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 3 c salt-free chicken stock
• 1 c heavy cream.
• 3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 lg sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 c broccoli florets, steamed until tender crisp
• 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan and cook the onion and celery until softened.
2. Remove to a soup size pan. Add the stock, the potatoes, bay leaf, and 1 c of water, some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are done.
4. Remove the bay leaf and either use a blender or immersion blender to puree about 1/2 of the mixture (or all if you desire)
5. Return to the pot. Add broccoli and heat until just off the boil. Add the cream and the cheese, stir, and continue heating until just short of a boil again.

SERVES: 4

Related articles

• Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup (thehooteats.com)
• Broccoli Cheese Soup (pastaprincessandmore.wordpress.com)
• Broccoli, Ham and Cheddar Soup for Two (thejoyofcaking.wordpress.com)
• Broccoli and Carrot Cheese Soup (muffinsandmocha.wordpress.com)

Roasted Cream of Poblano Soup

This soup was inspired by one I saw on JustaPinch, but I changed it quite a bit, and well it seems my own!

It’s got a deep flavor, and is mouth hot, but doesn’t burn, and doesn’t multiply as you sip it. Perfect for winter eating. Or perhaps cold in the summer?

It’s a bit labor intensive, but only a little. (roasting the chiles). But the rest goes fast.

You can substitute chiles of course, but as I said, this was plenty spicy with the featured chiles, so be careful, unless you really like the heat.

Hope you enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 lg poblano chiles
• 2 lg potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly
• 1 med. onion, chopped roughly
• 4-6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 c beef stock
• 1 c water
• 2/3 c cream
• cotija cheese, crumbled for topping

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the chiles under the broiler and char, and then turn over and do the other side. Remove to a paper bag and fold up until fairly cooled. Peel off the skins and remove seeds and stems and then chop roughly and place in a soup pot.
2. Add all the other veggies up to the cream to the pot.
3. Simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
4. With a strainer, remove the solids to a blender or food processor and puree. Return to the soup pot, and simmer another 30 minutes.
5. Let sit until 30 minutes before ready to eat. Add the cream and heat gently.
6. Place the crumbled cotija cheese on the table for sprinkling on.

Serves: 6

** lovely with a salad and nice crusty bread.