Quick Cream of Mushroom Soup

Here is a recipe for a very tasty cream of mushroom soup. Unlike Julia Child’s recipe (which I also like), this recipe produces a creamier, thicker soup that is very filling. Julia’s recipe produces a wonderful first course in a formal dinner. This soup is often the main course. The ingredients below make four generous servings.

INGREDIENTS:

6 tablespoons salted Butter, divided
½ Onion, diced (about 1 cup)
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp.Thyme
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 to 1 tsp. Truffle oil (optional)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley, for garnish

PROCEDURE:

Clean and slice the mushrooms about a quarter-inch thick and dice the onion rather finely. 

Heat a 4-quart pot over medium high heat. Melt a tablespoon of  butter in it. Add the onions and sauté them until translucent. Stir them frequently.

Melt another tablespoon of butter in the pot with the onions. Add the mushrooms and continue sautéing until they are tender. Stir in the thyme and after half a minute, add the chicken broth. Reduce the heat and and simmer five or six minutes while making a roux,

Melt four tablespoons butter in a small skillet over Low to moderate heat. Blend the flour into the butter until it bubbles. You may need to add a little more butter. Cook for about two minutes. Stir the milk and half of the cream into the roux and cook until you have a thick gravy.

Add this mixture to the pot and bring it to a boil, stirring as needed. Reduce the heat to low.

Stir the remaining cream into the soup. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 10-15 minutes, or until soup thickens to your liking, stirring frequently. Stir in the truffle oil if you wish. Taste and add salt and pepper if you wish. Wash and chop some parsley.

Serve warm garnished with the parsley.

NOTES: A green salad goes well with this soup.To store it, cool completely and refrigerate up to five days or freeze up to 90 days. If you wish to double the recipe, plan on cooking slightly longer.The soup is very good without the truffle oil, but adding the oil gives the soup a more intense mushroom flavor. I often use three or four extra mushrooms if I have them in the fridge.

Audrey’s Corned Beef and Noodle Casserole

My friend Rich told me about a casserole that his wife, Audrey, used to make for him. Corned beef, noodles and canned soup were the main ingredients he remembered. I was intrigued and asked for the recipe. He found it and delivered a handwritten copy. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost it.

A few weeks ago I searched the Web and found several recipes that sounded like what Rich remembered. I then created a version using some corned beef left over from a St. Patrick’s Day dinner. I showed him the recipe below and gave him a generous sample of my version of Audrey’s casserole.

His report was favorable. The recipe looked familiar and the dish tasted just about like he recalled. “There was more corned beef than I remembered, and I’m not sure about the peas, but it tastes just as good as Audrey’s corned beef and noodle casserole. It’s a go.”

INGREDIENTS:

3 T butter, divided

8 oz. Egg Noodles

2 – 3 cups canned or leftover corned beef

1 cup Cheddar cheese

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

1/2 cup onion

2 cups frozen green peas

2 – 3 slices bread

PROCEDURE:

Chop the corned beef into a half-inch dice and finely chop the onion. Soften the peas a little in your microwave. Cut the bread into a quarter-inch dice and melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Preheat the oven to 350º and grease a two-quart baking dish with a tablespoon of the butter. Toss the diced bread with the remaining butter.

Cook the noodles to al dente. While the noodles are cooking, blend the milk and soup together in a larger mixing bowl. Stir the meat, cheese, onion and peas into the liquid.

Drain the noodles and combine them with the other ingredients and spread the mixture in the baking dish. Top the casserole with the bread crumbs and bake about  40 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to cool for two or three minutes before serving.