Category: Soup of the Week (Page 14 of 25)

Chef Eric Gitenstein is a doll! He kind of reminds me of a young Richard Dreyfuss (my secret crush) AND he can cook! Geez, if this guy could hunt for sharks AND owned a boat…well, never mind. Seriously, Eric is a great guy, great chef and has a great thing going with his MF Tasty underground restaurant movement. I’ll be first in line for his next party – shark fin soup, perhaps?

Cream of 3 Mushroom Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cups maitake mushrooms, base removed
• 2 cups enoki mushrooms, base removed

*If you cannot find these particular mushrooms, substitute with whatever you can find, same amounts apply

• 1/4 cup minced yellow onion
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped thyme, fresh
• 1/4 teaspoon salt & black pepper
• Chopped parsley (for garnish)

1. In a sauce pot, over medium high heat, melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms, onions and garlic. Add the salt, pepper, and thyme. Allow the mushrooms to slightly caramelize and deglaze the pot with white wine. Stir occasionally and allow the wine to reduce almost completely. Pour in the cream, stir and simmer until cream has slightly reduced and mushrooms are cooked completely.
2. Serve in your favorite soup bowl and garnish with chopped parsley.

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The topic of this week’s into the Soup Radio is, well, the most interesting ever!?!? For those who can, cook with cannabis for (medicinal purposes). Give this soup (and butter) a try–it may just lift you up and make you feel allll better!

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds red potatoes
• 2 sweet yellow onions
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 1/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese- shredded
• 1/4 pound asiago or fontina
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3-4 tablespoons sweet dairy butter
• 3-4 tablespoons Canna Butter* (recipe below)
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 3 tablespoons tawny Port
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil then simmer. Add the sprigs of fresh thyme. Wash, peel, and rough chop the potatoes. Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Caramelize (slow sauté) the onions (chopped) in the butter with salt and pepper. Add the onions and bud butter to the stock. Rinse the potatoes in cold water and add them to the stock. Slow simmer for at least two hours.
2. Add the tawny port, then the cream. Using a hand mixer, blend the ingredients and simmer for another thirty minutes. DO NOT let the soup boil after the cream has been added! Add the and blend once again.
3. Serve with crispy bacon and parsley as garnish.

Canna Butter

• 1 pound butter
• 1/2 ounze Marijuana Shake or Flour

Heat butter and marijuana flour together in the crockpot on the lowest setting for 24 hours. When cool enough to handle, pour through the double layer of cheesecloth lined strainer into the large bowl. Twist pulp in the double layer of cheesecloth to get out all the liquid butter you can. Yummie….. pour into ceramic or glass dish for cooling. Refrigerate to quicken cooling. When cool cut into large pieces, place green butter in large ziploc bag for freezing.

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Doreen Fang’s name will probably be familiar to those of you who tuned into Season 6 (2010) ‘The Next Food Network Star.’ We are so excited to have her as this week’s guest on into the Soup Radio!! Doreen earned an Associate of Occupational Studies from the California Culinary Academy and loves experimenting with different cuisines and ingredients. She currently co-owns a boutique catering company and teaches cooking classes for adults and children in Los Angeles. Raised in a predominantly Chinese community in Los Angeles, Doreen finds culinary inspiration in her family and friends. Doreen shares this comforting corn soup that her mother used to make. The bits of egg in this recipe add a mild Chinese flair. She loves it, and we think that you will, too!

My Mom’s Creamy Corn Soup

Ingredients:

• 3-14 oz cans Chicken broth
• 2 cups Water (or you can just add more broth if you like)
• 2-14.5 oz cans Cream of Corn
• 1 cup Frozen Corn (no need to thaw)
• 1 large Egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch (make a slurry by adding 2 Tbsp cold water to the cornstarch)
• 1 squirt Sesame oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• White pepper, to taste
• 1 stalk Green onions, cut on bias (garnish)

1. Combine chicken stock and water in a medium sauce pan; bring to a boil. Add your corn (creamed and frozen); bring to a boil again.
2. While you stir the soup, slowly add the cornstarch slurry, making sure it does not get clumpy.
3. Before you pour in your egg, use a pair of chopsticks and to start stirring the soup; continue to stir as you pour add the egg. Use your chopsticks to break up the egg so there are long swirls and bits of egg.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Add a squirt of sesame oil and top with green onions to garnish. Serve immediately.

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Chef Len Rubin has cooked all over the United States and the world!  Here in Arizona, he continues to astound diners with his innovative flavor combinations in some of the state’s finest restaurants. We highly suggest that you have a bite to eat at The Vig and The Vig Uptown to try some of Chef Len’s dishes for yourself. After all, it’s not every day that you run across an amazing culinary competitor. We’ll be rooting for him as he competes for the Western Regional Chef of the Year at the ACF convention to be held at the end of April – GO LENNY!!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 1    strip    Smoked Bacon (diced small)
• 1    tbs.    Unsalted Butter (cut in pieces, room temperature)
• 2    tbs.    Onions (diced small)
• 1    tbs.    Garlic (diced small)
• 1    tbs.    Tomato Paste
• 1    tbs.    All-Purpose Flour
• 2    cups    Water
• 8    oz.    Cream Style Corn
• 8    oz.    Corn Kernels
• 2    tsp.    Chili Powder
• 1    tbs.    Corn Oil
• 4    oz.    Rock Shrimp (peeled, deveined)
• 2    tsp.    Red Bell Pepper (diced small)
• 2    tsp.    Green Bell Pepper (diced small)
• 2    tsp.    Cilantro (chopped)
• 2    tsp.    Green Onion (chopped)
• 2    tbs.    Half & Half
• 1/2    tsp.    Ground Black Pepper
• To Taste    Salt

1. Place bacon in a sauce pot and cook over medium heat until crispy.
2. Add the butter and stir until completely melted.
3. Add the onions and garlic; cook until softened.
4. Add the tomato paste and incorporate well, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the flour and incorporate well, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
6. Slowly add the water while whisking to break up all lumps and incorporate well.
7. Bring to a boil, lower heat slightly and add the cream style corn.
8. Drain corn kernels and place on a baking sheet; sprinkle with chili powder and corn oil and place in a 400° oven until slightly browned.
9. Add browned corn to soup.
10. Bring soup back up to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Add the shrimp and bell peppers and bring back up to a boil.
12. Let simmer for another 10 minutes then add all of the remaining ingredients.

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We met Amy Farges of Marche Aux Delices at the San Francisco Fancy Food Show earlier this week and couldn’t get enough of the croutons slathered
in rich, truffle butter that she was handing out. As it turns out, this lady really knows her ‘shrooms and even wrote a cookbook about them!
Here’s just one of the lovely recipes you can find in The Mushroom Lovers’ Mushroom Cookbook and Primer.

The steaming succor provided by this naturally-thickened potage make it a wonderful cold-weather meal. Just about any exotic mushroom will give the broth a substantial kick. Add whole-grain bread and a plate of cheese to make it a meal. Some or all of the button mushrooms can be replaced with trimmings–such as stems from portobello or shiitake mushrooms–that you’ve saved from other recipes.

Ingredients:

Serves 8

• 2 pounds assorted fresh wild or cultivated mushrooms, such as chanterelle, shiitake, porcini, and oyster
• 2 pounds button mushrooms
• 8 cups water
• 1/3 cup wheat berries
• 1/3 cup red lentils
• 1/3 cup quinoa
• 5 tablespoons Natural Duck Fat
• 8 shallots, sliced thin (about 2 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup Madeira
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs, such as tarragon, thyme, chives, dill, parsley
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons Aux Délices des Bois Black or White Truffle Butter

1. Clean and trim the wild mushrooms, placing all the trimmings in a large soup pot. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick and set aside.
2. Add the button mushrooms and water to the soup pot. Boil vigorously until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Strain the mushroom stock into a large, heavy saucepan. Push hard on the mushrooms to extract as much stock as possible. Discard these spent mushrooms.
3. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the wheat berries and cook 1 minute. Add the lentils and cook one more minute. Stir in the quinoa and cook until all the grains are tender, about 6 minutes. Drain the grains and place in a medium bowl.
4. In a large sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the duck fat over high heat. Sauté the prepared wild mushrooms one minute, until they give up some liquid. Add half the shallots and the garlic and cook over medium heat until the pan is dry, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Turn heat to high, pour the Madeira into the pan and quickly stir, loosening up any bits that have stuck to the bottom. Over medium heat, cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
6. Dredge the remaining sliced shallots in the flour until coated and shake off the excess. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons duck fat in a very small saucepan until it begins to pop. Drop in the shallots and fry until crisp and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
7. Combine the grains, mushrooms and half the fresh herbs with the mushroom stock. (It’s a good idea to combine everything no sooner than a half hour before serving, because when the grains sit in the liquid, they drink it all up.) Bring the soup to a boil and boil until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.  If the soup becomes too thick, just add water, simmer a few minutes and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot, sprinkling the remaining herbs, the fried shallots, and a pat of black or white truffle butter over the top.

© Amy Farges, The Mushroom Lover’s Mushroom Cookbook and Primer (Workman 2000)

Click here to buy The Mushroom Lovers’ Mushroom Cookbook and Primer

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This soup is a lovely combination of flavors and texture. It has a mild curry taste, enhanced with the addition of orange and a hint of sweetness from the maple syrup. The toasted walnuts add taste and an appealing bit of crunch, while the optional yogurt provides a creamy finish. Although this is a great cold weather soup, it’s light enough to be enjoyed any time of the year — perhaps even for dinner with the addition of salad and some whole-grain bread.

Ingredients:

Makes 6 servings (Vegan Friendly)

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced gingerroot
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
• 2 cups sweet potato purée (see Tips, below)
• 6 cups homemade vegetable stock or reduced-sodium chicken stock
• 3⁄4 cup millet, toasted (see Tips, below)
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1⁄4 cup pure maple syrup
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Toasted chopped walnuts or sliced almonds
• Plain yogurt, optional

1. In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until carrots have softened, about 7 minutes.
2. Add garlic, ginger, curry powder and orange zest and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add sweet potato and stock and stir well. Bring to a boil. Stir in millet. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until millet is tender and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.
3. Add orange juice and maple syrup and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted walnuts and a drizzle of yogurt, if using.

Tips

To get this quantity of puréed sweet potato, bake, peel and mash 2 medium sweet potatoes, each about 6 oz. You can also use a can (14 oz) of sweet potato purée. While it’s not necessary to toast millet, toasting does bring out its pleasantly nutty flavor. To toast millet, heat in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it crackles and releases its aroma, about 5 minutes.

Credit for recipe:
Excerpted from The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook by Judith Finlayson
© 2008 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Purchase the complete cookbook here.

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