Here we are in the dead of winter, and what is there to do but be present, spend as much time as possible in the fresh cold air and then come inside and eat soup?
Soup is a part of many cuisines and comes in numerous, some would say countless, variations – bland or spicy, watery or creamy, smooth or chunky, meaty or vegetarian, thick or thin.
Last week’s featured dish in the Cooking for Culture series hosted by P.E.I. Community Navigators was a soup from the Phillipines, flavoured with tamarind. The sour taste of tamarind was new to me, a reminder of how diverse and interesting soups can be.
A stroll down the soup aisle in any grocery store reveals a variety of canned soups and soup mixes that make for quick lunch options. The same aisles feature pre-made broths in cans, cartons, cubes and powdered preparations for those who prefer to make their own soup.
There are even more possibilities when you make your own soup, using recipes from a friend, a book or a blog. Most people begin by following a recipe and then figure out how easy it is to branch out and make a unique soup, based on personal preference and what’s in the cupboards.
One of my childhood favourites was a beef vegetable soup made with beef short ribs, home-canned tomatoes, onions, carrots and barley, simmered until the meat was tender enough to fall off the bones. We ate the meat from a plate, with fresh bread, and then the rich filling soup from a bowl. I do not know if that was based on a tradition or if it was unique to my family. No matter, I considered it a wintertime treat, and I remember my father praising my mom’s homemade soup after she was no longer around to make it for him.
At my house, we like homemade cream of mushroom soup, served with a fresh biscuit or slice of toast. There’s a picture on my Facebook page, facebook.com/islandgusto.
The last time I made it, I used homemade chicken broth, prepared by covering the bones from a whole roast chicken with cold water in a Dutch oven, adding an onion, a big garlic clove, a few small carrots and a handful of celery tops, and simmering for the afternoon.
Here are some notes on the mushroom soup recipe. Use more mushrooms, up to twice as many, if you prefer. Or you can add sliced celery or finely chopped carrots. If using unsalted broth, either homemade or purchased, I recommend adding salt as listed in the recipe, but be sure to taste before adding more salt when making soup with broth containing salt.
Feel free to stir in more broth or milk if the soup is too thick for your taste. Use skim, reduced fat or full fat milk as preferred. You can use replace the dried thyme with fresh thyme; the suggested replacement is 3:1, or 3 times as much fresh thyme leaves as dried.
A sprig of fresh thyme makes a nice garnish for cream of mushroom soup, but you could also garnish with minced parsley, a few slices of sautéed mushroom or a scattering of croutons.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 60 mL (¼ cup) butter
- 60 mL (¼ cup) olive oil
- 250 g (½ lb) mushrooms, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 125 mL (½ cup) all-purpose flour
- 750 mL (3 cups) broth (chicken, beef or vegetable)
- 250 mL (1 cup) evaporated milk, undiluted
- 250 mL (1 cup) skim milk
- 5 mL (1 tsp) dried thyme
- 2 mL (½ tsp) salt
- 2 mL (½ tsp) ground black pepper
Over medium-high heat, warm butter and olive oil in a two-litre saucepan with a heavy bottom until butter melts.
Add chopped mushrooms and onion and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have browned and onions are translucent.
Reduce heat to medium and stir in flour.
Cook the fat and flour mixture for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth, evaporated milk and skim milk in increments, stirring after each addition until mixture is smooth.
Stir in thyme, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Makes 4-6 servings
Margaret Prouse, a home economist, writes this column for The Guardian every Friday. She can be reached by email at [email protected].
