Mushroom soup

Mushroom Soup Epicurious | 2004

by Anthony Bourdain with José de Meirelles and Philippe Lajaunie
Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook

This is a ridiculously easy soup to make. It's tasty and durable, and it gets even better overnight. Yield: Makes 4 servings Ingredients 6 tbsp/75 g butter 1 small onion, thinly sliced 12 ounces/340 g button mushrooms 4 cups/900 ml light chicken stock or broth 1 sprig of flat parsley Salt and pepper 2 ounces/56 ml high-quality sherry (don't use the cheap grocery-store variety; it's salty and unappetizing and will ruin your soup) Equipment Medium saucepan Wooden spoon Blender Method In the medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons/28 g of the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the mushrooms and the remaining butter. Let the mixture sweat for about 8 minutes, taking care that the onion doesn't take on any brown color. Stir in the chicken stock and the parsley and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour. After an hour, remove the parsley and discard. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and carefully blend at high speed until smooth. Do I have to remind you to do this in stages, with the blender's lid firmly held down, and with the weight of your body keeping that thing from flying off and allowing boiling hot mushroom purée to erupt all over your kitchen? When blended, return the mix to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and bring up to a simmer again. Add the sherry, mix well, and serve immediately. Improvisation To astound your guests with a Wild Mushroom Soup, simply replace some of those button mushrooms with a few dried cèpes or morels, which have been soaked until soft, drained, and squeezed. Not too many; the dried mushrooms will have a much stronger taste, and you don't want to overwhelm the soup. Pan sear, on high heat, a single small, pretty, fresh chanterelle or morel for each portion, and then slice into a cute fan and float on top in each bowl. And if you really want to ratchet your soup into pretentious (but delicious), drizzle a few tiny drops of truffle oil over the surface just before serving. Why the hell not? Everybody else is doing it. Source Information Reprinted with permission from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain with José de Meirelles and Philippe Lajaunie. © 2004 Bloomsbury

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Miso tofu and Japanese Bento Box Salad

Both are from the Moosewood Healthy Cooking Cookbook.

Miso tofu: made on a skillet with miso and sauces.

Japanese bento box salad: easy lemon/ginger dressing is amazing

Turnip soup

I used oil instead of butter and added thyme and extra potato and a leek instead of the onion.Note: think I used a rutabaga instead of a turnip- so will have to try again :)

Purée of Turnip Soup Recipe

The turnip can be overlooked and underrated. If you're not already a fan of this humble root vegetable, this classic purée of turnip soup might surprise you.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb white turnips (about 4 medium turnips)
• 1 medium Russet (or other starchy) potato
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 qt vegetable broth or stock
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Ground white pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Cut turnips into (roughly) same-sized pieces, about ½ inch to 1 inch thick, depending on diameter. Don't worry about precision — the soup is going to be puréed anyway. We just want the pieces to be of uniform size so that they cook evenly.
2. Peel the potato and cut it into pieces about the same size as the turnips.
3. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the butter over a low-to-medium heat.
4. Add the onion, garlic and turnips and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is slightly translucent, stirring more or less continuously.
5. Add the wine and cook for another minute or two or until the wine seems to have reduced by about half.
6. Add the stock and the potato. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the turnips and potatoes are soft enough that they can easily be pierced with a knife. Don't let them get mushy, though.
7. Remove from heat and purée in a blender, working in batches if necessary.
   
   Tip: Use care when processing hot items in a blender as the hot steam can sometimes blow the blender lid off. Start on a slow speed with the lid slightly ajar to vent any steam, then seal the lid and increase the blending speed.
8. Return puréed soup to pot and bring to a simmer again, adding more broth or stock to adjust the thickness if necessary.
9. Season to taste with Kosher salt and white pepper.
10. Garnish with a toasted crouton and serve right away.

Makes about 1½ quarts (6 8-oz. servings) of soup.

Optional:

• Stir ¼ cup hot cream into the soup just before serving.

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