Crimini Mushroom Soup

I usually create my meals out of an urgency to use up a particular fresh ingredient that I have on hand. This week it was a giant box of Crimini mushrooms from the giant food warehouse. They had to be used up, and quickly. I had everything in the house for this good soup recipe. I made it using my basic soup method to start. At the end I used a stick blender( the kind you make milkshakes with) right in the pan and pureed the soup until there were still a few chunky mushrooms left. This makes a good meal along with crusty french bread. We had flatbread and hummus with our soup.

3 Tablespoons butter

1-1/2 lbs. crimini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced

3 cups chicken stock or 2 bouillion cubes with 3 cups hot water

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 can evaporated milk

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

In a large saucepan over med heat, saute the onion, celery, and mushrooms in the butter. When they start to carmelize a little, add the stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 25 minutes. Using a stick blender, blend soup in the pan. Leave some mushroom chunks if you prefer. Add the can of milk and 1 teaspoon parsely and bring back to a slow simmer. Mix cornstarch into 2 Tablespoons of milk or water. Stir while adding to soup. Cook on low 5 more minutes, stirring until thick. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Beef and Lentil Soup

The last time I made the Stove-top Machaca Beef recipe, I saved the juices from the pot and also had some leftover meat. This formed the base for a great soup. I may have added too many lentils, so next time I would only use half a bag. Here is what I did.

1 bag of dried lentils
1-8 oz. box of fresh mushrooms, quartered
Leftover machaca beef, shredded
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots, sliced thin
1/2 chopped onion
1 beef boullion cube
1 teaspoon each dried thyme, sage, and seasoning salt
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground pepper

Start with the leftover machaca beef juices and put them in a large pot. Bring up to a fast simmer. Add the beef, and all other ingredients except the lentils. Rinse the lentils and drain. Add to the pot and bring back to the boil. Add water to cover and keep adding water as the lentils cook down and absorb the liquid. Make the soup the consistency you like. Lentils should be tender in about 20 to 30 minutes. Enjoy with a loaf of crusty french bread.

Green Chili, Chicken, and Corn Soup

The other day I got an idea to make this soup. I had made something similar before, but this time I didn’t look up a recipe and just winged it. This is what I did and it came out really tasty. This amount made 6-8 large bowls of soup.

1 roast chicken – pull white meat off both sides of the entire chicken breast and shred with your fingers. Use the rest of the bird for a chicken salad.
2 stalks celery, diced
5 scallions, diced
½ red bell pepper, chopped
15 oz can corn (with juice), or frozen, or fresh corn
15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juice), or other diced tomato product
7 oz can of mild diced green chilies
2 dashes of Worcestershire
2 Tablespoons ketchup
¼ cup of green or red salsa, or both
2 chicken bullion cubes- or boxed broth
Water to cover over about an inch
Any leftover beans you might have. I threw in half a can of ranch style beans. Black beans would be good, but not too many.

Sauté the celery, onions, and pepper in a little olive oil. Start adding chicken and all other ingredients but the water or broth. Now I add: a palmful (About a large Tablespoon) of cumin, chili powder, dried parsley and oregano. A teaspoon of garlic powder, dash of cayenne, a teaspoon of seasoning salt, black pepper, shot of any Mexican hot sauce, a palmful of dried cilantro, or you could chop fresh, and a few shakes of Mrs. Dash Spicy. You can use any or all of these spices according to your tastes. After all that is simmering well, add your liquid and bring back to a nice simmer. Taste for seasoning. Adjust if needed at this time. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls for a perfect meal.

We served ours with an onion - faccacia bread. I know; that’s Italian. But it was very good to go along with the slightly spicy soup. Cornbread would also go very well on the side.

Bacon and Corn Chowder

This is a hearty soup, and can be used as the main dish. My mother made this when we were children and I always looked forward to it. Served with a little crusty bread it's a meal. Cooks up quickly.

3 slices of bacon, diced
1 can creamed corn
1 chopped onion
1 cup diced potato
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 cups hot water
1 can evaporated milk or
2 cups milk or cream
2 egg yolks

Fry the bacon until crisp, then add onion and potato. Saute lightly. Add everything but the milk and eggs. Bring to a simmer and cook about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk and heat slowly. When ready to serve, add a little hot soup to 2 egg yolks and beat with a fork. Add to soup while stirring. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with parsely. Serves 4 easily.