French-Inspired Mushroom Soup

I invented this recipe a year or so ago after I watched an episode of Masterchef. They mentioned on the show that the classic flavours of French food were butter, cream, thyme and I think lemon - so when I went to make mushroom soup for dinner that night, knowing we had some beautiful lemon thyme growing in the garden, I decided to see if I could make a soup that reflected these flavours.

The Recipe
About 50g butter
1 smallish white or brown onion
1 heaped teaspoon crushed garlic
400-600g mushrooms (I used 400g; the fresher the better)
Salt (¼t?)
3/16 c plain flour (hehe. The original recipe called for ¼ cup, but because I added the soup mix I reduced the flour by ¼)
2/3 packet of mushroom powdered soup mix (this is like, 3T maybe?)
4c chicken stock
2 2-inch sprigs of lemon thyme
½ - 2/3c milk
About 100g sour cream or regular pouring cream
2t chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ - ½ t dried tarragon

Melt butter in saucepan. Sauté garlic and onion until clear, but not caramelised. Add mushrooms, cook stirring until reduced (~7mins?). Add salt to taste. Add flour and soup mix. Cook for 1-2 mins, stirring constantly. Add first 1.5 cups of stock slowly so flour doesn’t clump. Add rest of stock. Throw in thyme sprigs. Bring to boil, then simmer for 10 mins. Optionally, let soup cool and process to desired consistency (I prefer not to process this soup). Add milk and sour cream. Heat until cream is melted. Add herbs. Serve hot with crusty bread.

The Results
Is this soup a successful reflection of the key French flavours? I absolutely think so. It's warm and satisfying due to the cream and butter, but light and delicate at the same time because of the lemon. Because it's quite rich, I wouldn't make it every week, but this is definitely a grand soup for special occasions B-)

Butter-based Mushroom/Capsicum/Baby Spinach Pasta Sauce

I got home at nearly half past nine tonight craving something tasty and wanting more than anything to crash into bed. I'd already planned to make pasta, and lacking a brain to think of a satisfying alternative, pasta is what I went with.

What I didn't expect was for it to be SO INSANELY TASTY!!

So. Recipe. Be warned: this is not a skinny recipe :D

Serves 3.

About 100g of butter
About 2t fresh majoram
8 mushrooms, sliced
1/4 small red capsicum (pepper), diced
Tarragon
Almost 1/4 carton sour cream (er, 100g??)
Nearly 1 block feta cheese (250g?)
1 handful baby spinach/rocket mix

Cook sufficient pasta according to directions. Melt butter in a saucepan with majoram. Add mushrooms and capsicum. Saute until mushies are nearly cooked then add tarragon and salt to taste (4 grinds). Add sour cream and melt. Add feta; stir through until heated. Add spinach/rocket and stir through until just wilted.

Serve with a few fresh leaves on top and a sprinkling of parmesan.

Yum!

Ten Minute Meal: Veggie Baked Potato

Oh, the modest potato. Bland, brown, lacking in most vital nutrients except for in the skin. The potato isn't going to win awards for beauty any time soon.

But it makes an awesome lunch!

Veggie Baked Potato:
1 potato per person
1 handful of broccoli
1 medium carrot (6-8 inches long)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 heaping tbspn sour cream
2 green onions -or- 4 chives
Carnivore Addition: 2 slices of bacon fully cooked and diced -or- 1/4 cup diced ham

1. Stab your well-scrubbed potato with your fork a few times. Be mean. Get the anger out. Then toss the potato on a plate and microwave for 5-8 minutes (7-10 for large potatoes)

2. While the potato cooks wash your veggies. Shred the carrot. Chop the broccoli fine. Cut the green onion or chives into small pieces.

3. Mix the shredded carrot and grated cheese together.

4. Take baked potato out of the microwave and cut in half. Layer on the cheese and carrots.

5. Add dollop of sour cream.

6. Top with broccoli and green onion. Add the bacon is you're a carnivore.

7. Add a healthy drink like ice water or cranberry juice and you have a well rounded meal in ten minutes or less. Enjoy!



Oh, yes, there's a potato under there. It's just conveniently buried under a salad. Warm, tasty, nutritious, and quick. That's all I want in a meal.